Lies of the Past
by Edwards-Ebed
Summary: SeiferxSquall Once the war came to an end, things hadn't been the same. When Seifer becomes an instructor at Balamb Garden, old feelings are ignited when dreams start haunting him about his actions from that time. He never did anything that bad...did he?
1. Shunned

Alright! Well, I've been wanting to work on a Final Fantasy VIII fic for years, and I finally threw one together. About a year ago, I started chapter one. After running through it, I decided to post it up. So, don't shoot me if you don't like it, kay? This takes place after the war and everything. So tell me what you think so I know if I should continue this!! Thankies! Enjoy after the disclaimer!

**Disclaimer**: Final Fantasy VIII is property of Squaresoft...not me. (sighs) Oh well!

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Chapter one: Shunned

Green eyes met blue-gray eyes from across a crowded hallway. The blonde began to move towards the onlooker, however, those eyes turned away and the other hurriedly walked off, reasons unknown. Seifer let out a sigh and turned back to the board, which was why this certain hall was so crowded.

The grades for a recent exam were now posted on the board. Seifer had gone to meet with several students that had questions, and he figured it was the same reason Squall was just there. Yet, ever since he came back to Garden, the brunette seemed to avoid him; for what reasons, even he was unsure. They fought during the war, yes, but he never thought that the reaction would go on this long. Most of Garden did not really care anymore. In fact, Seifer was now an instructor, compliments to Quistis for convincing Squall to allow him. Reluctantly, he agreed and so Seifer was to teach Battle Tactics.

Now in the second semester of teaching, Seifer was quick to become one of the favorites of the female students. Just as Quistis had a fan club, he, too, now had one. However, it did become quite annoying over time; having girls constantly giggle whenever he was around, he was not able to take much more of this. He did an about-face and began to walk back to the elevator to take him back down to the first floor. If he was not teaching a class, he spent quite a bit of time in the Training Center, occasionally running across students that were fighting monsters much too tough for them and having to escort them back to the gate. That, in his eye, was a waste of time. Students that were unable to handle the creatures should not have been in that section anyway. At times, he had run into the Commander, and as soon as he had shown up, Squall would quickly finish a battle and move away.

Once down to the lower floor, Seifer ran into Zell, literally.

"Watch where you're going, Chicken-Wuss!" He shot as he landed on his butt. Papers that Zell had currently been holding went flying everywhere and he scrambled to pick them up.

"Sorry about that, Seifer!" He quickly apologized, continuing to pick up scattered papers. The other only sighed.

"Does Quistis have you running errands again?" He asked, an annoyed expression playing on his face.

Zell glanced up at Seifer's sudden change in attitude. He shook his head as he picked up the last paper and climbed to his feet. "Yeah. I have to get these to Squall before three." He glanced at his watch. "Ah! Damn it!" The time was now showing two fifty-five. "Gotta run!" He called as he ran into the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor repeatedly.

Once the elevator doors shut, Seifer faced the stairs and began to descend them. Figuring he would grab a bite to eat, he headed for the Cafeteria, hands shoved in his pocket, ignoring the passing, giggling girls. Once he reached the Cafeteria, he noticed a brunette sitting at one of the tables with a glass of water on the table and head bent down. He walked over, standing directly over the other with his arms crossed.

"Zell's looking for you."

Squall glanced up at Seifer and only nodded his head before returning to his position, and then gathering to his feet. He began to head for the entrance, but was stopped by Seifer grabbing his upper arm.

"Leonheart," the blonde stated hastily, a bit more forceful than he had intended. "Since you're right here, care to explain your damn attitude? You seem to be the only one that still has a problem with me and it's starting to get on my nerves."

Squall met Seifer's eyes, but turned away and shook his head. He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Selphie entering the room.

"Squall! There you are!" She ran up to them and Seifer released Squall's arm. "I've been trying to find either you or Quistis – hey Seifer – and I finally found someone!" She smiled and latched onto Squall's arm, beginning to drag him off. "It's about the Garden Festival for next semester! I've come up with a few ideas and I just wanted to run them through you first!"

Seifer watched until they were both out of sight before kicked a chair. Cursing once again at the failed attempt to figure out the Commander, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled out of the Cafeteria and towards the Training Center.

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A Grat let out its shriek as the blonde annihilated the group. His search for a T-Rexaur was not going as planned and the fact that he had begun taking his frustration out on weak creatures was just adding more frustration to his mood. He sighed and headed back to the gate, yet his search paid off as he dodged an oncoming monster. He grinned and unsheathed his sword.

"Now that's more like it!"

He charged at the dinosaur, slicing it across its chest. He ducked when the monster tried to lash at him with its tail and instead, cut part of it off. From reflex, it tried to chomp down, yet missed and only nicked his arm with its teeth. Seifer looked at the sleeve of his coat and cursed.

"You bastard! I just had this damn thing cleaned!" He charged at the T-Rexaur and continually sliced away until it fell to the ground, dead. He smirked and rested his gunblade on his shoulder, letting out a sigh.

He turned and began to head back to the gate. Once outside the center, he watched as a group of teens head in the direction he had just came from. Figuring he would go back to his dorm room and change out of his now ripped coat, he took off.

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"So, what do you think? Is it alright if we do that?"

"Yeah. I don't see why not."

"Thanks, Squall!" Selphie piped as she hugged Squall around the neck. "Well, I'm off to tell the others they can go on ahead and set up for it!" She released him and began to walk to the Quad. She waved back at him and he replied to it with a small wave of his own.

He let out a yawn and looked around at the nearest clock. It was only four, yet it felt like it was past midnight; however, that was what happened when one would stay up all night, not going to bed until early hours in the morning, and then having to wake right back up. Wondering if it was all right to head back and take a nap in his dorm, he decided that an hour nap would not hurt.

After being stopped in the halls to confirm a few things, he finally managed top reach the outside to the dorms. He let out a sigh of relief and began to walk in but stopped when he saw a familiar face exiting the area. Seifer stopped abruptly as well and Squall averted his eyes to the floor and started to walk pass him. Becoming quickly annoyed, Seifer spun around and had the shorted male pinned to the wall by his shoulders.

"Goddamn it, Squall!" He growled as their eyes met. "What the hell is your problem?!" Squall shifted his gaze back to the floor, which seemed to piss off the other even more.

Seifer put more force on his hold on Squall and the other slightly cringed while muttering, "Stop it."

"No, _Commander_. I'm not going to let you go until you tell me the hell's wrong with you and why you're the only one who seems to have a damn problem with me!" With his face now only mere centimeters from Squall's face, he said in a harsh whisper: "Or am I going to have to make you?"

Squall's eyes shot open and he pushed Seifer away from him. "D-DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Seifer stood, stunned at the other's reaction and watched as Squall took of running into the dorms. He looked back in disbelief. _Those eyes didn't show anger_, Seifer thought slowly. _No…that was fear. But why_? He gazed down the now empty hallway to the dorms. _Did I do something_? He rubbed the back of his head in confusion.

"Shit!" He cursed as he punched the wall, receiving several curious looks from passing students. He stood upright and headed off back to the Training Center.

----

Quistis took a sip of her coffee before setting it back down on the table. She, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell were currently sitting in the Cafeteria, talking about the test results for some of the students. However, the conversation quickly turned to talking about Squall and Rinoa.

"I don't know," Selphie said as she put his hand to her face. "Ever since Rinoa left, he seems to have reverted back to his hidden self again."

Zell shook his head, glancing up at the brunette. "I don't know. He still acts the same when I'm around. It seems that the only time he ever acts quiet is if Seifer's around."

"But he can't still be upset over that!" Selphie argued. "Seifer's a lot different than how he was before! Besides, haven't we all established the fact that Seifer wasn't exactly – how do I put this – himself during that time. I'm sure Squall couldn't still be bent over that."

Zell shrugged.

"Maybe not," Quistis cut in. "Maybe something happened during that time? We don't know what happened and we're probably never going to know."

"I dunno. I think that Squall should just get over whatever's biting his ass before Seifer knocks the crap out of him," Irvine said calmly as he sat up straight. Selphie hit him over the head and he jerked. "Hey! What was that for?" He cried out as he held his head.

"Stop being a pessimist!" She commanded. "You could be a little more cheerful!"

Irvine grumbled and Selphie gave him a threatening look, making him put up his hands as if surrendering, giving his innocent grin.

"Would you two stop for a second?" Quistis asked, yet it was more of a command. "I'm sure the last thing we need is to get involved in your guys lover's quarrel." Selphie crossed her arms after sticking out her tongue at Irvine. She gathered to her feet and looked at everyone at the table.

"Well, I'm going to head back to the Quad and help with the Garden Festival. No thanks to _Irvine_ for helping!" She walked away, leaving Irvine to sputter a response. He knocked back his chair and went running after her.

"Selphie! Wait! I'm sorry!"

Quistis let out a sigh while Zell was trying to muffle his laughs.

"Irvine really needs to be a bit more considerate to her," the blonde female said as she looked after them. "I wouldn't be surprised if she broke it off with him."

Zell's laughs finally broke through. "I doubt it. They fight more like a married couple than anything else." Quistis only shrugged before gathering to her own feet.

"Well, I'm going. My class starts here soon."

Zell looked up at her. "See? Aren't you glad that you didn't give up being an instructor?" She only shrugged and walked away, slightly smiling to herself. Zell threw his hands behind his head and leaned back in the chair. "I wonder when I should as her?"

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So? What did you think? Good? Bad? So-so? Review so I know, kay?! 


	2. Nightmares

Come on, people! I represent a second chapter!! Lol!! This one goes into more detail than my first...I think. Heh heh. Anyway. I won't keep you long this time! So after the disclaimer, enjoy!!!

**Disclaimer:** Wait...they...(tears) DON'T belong to me?! Well that bites!

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**Chapter two: Nightmares**

Squall laid on his bed in the dorm, his arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight. It was seven in the evening; the sun was setting and sending an orange glow onto the campus and through the windows. Squall turned onto his side and shoved his pillow over his head. He had gone to his dorm almost an hour ago to take a short nap; however, his attempt at such was failing. He groaned and tossed the pillow over the side of his bed, staring face up at the ceiling. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, gathering to a standing pose. He headed over to the door and exited as they slid open.

He walked down the hallway with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He passed a few teenage females with a group of teenage males and they were going on about how awesome Quistis was.

_The Quistis Trepe is still around, huh_? Squall thought as he smirked inside his head. He yawned as he exited the dorm hallway. He ran over everything he had to do for the day. Once he arrived at the end of his list, he let out a long sigh_. I'm finished for the day and have nothing to do…can't even take a decent nap. _

He trudged to the Quad to see how the Garden Festival was coming along. Yet, when he arrived, everyone was working except Selphie. Curious, he wondered where she had gotten off. The Garden Festival was the only thing she would talk about nonstop, even if her own voice turned raw. He shrugged and began to exit the Quad, but not before running into Selphie face first.

He jumped backwards from surprise as paper, scissors and other objects went flying into the air. Selphie shook her head and looked around at the fallen supplies and back to Squall.

"Hiya!" She piped with a smile.

"Uh…sorry about that," Squall replied as he trailed off.

"Oh, it's no big deal! I should have been watched where I was going but I could barely see anything with all of this stuff piled up." She picked up a roll of paper and then tapped Squall on the head with it. "So, where ya going?" She asked as she repeated herself.

"I was just—"

"Ah, that doesn't matter! But since you're here now, mind giving me hand?" She picked up a pair of scissors.

"Sure."

Squall bent down and gathered the supplies that were around him. After everything was picked up from the floor, he followed Selphie back to the working area and set everything down on the nearest table. Selphie sighed as she looked at everyone around her working. She clapped her hands.

"All right, everybody!" As she spoke, everyone drew their attention to her. "Great job today, we got a lot done! So let's stop here for the night!" A cloud of relief floated over everyone as they let out a breath. There was some rustling around as everyone put things away before leaving the area. "See you all first thing tomorrow morning!"

Only a few minutes later, Selphie and Squall stood alone. Selphie skipped and looked at Squall. "So! I know you; you wouldn't come down here to help on the Festival, so what were you down here for?" She watched as Squall shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing."

A look of disappointment came over her face. "Meanie!" She paused and looked at a watch on her wrist. "Oh! Irvine's supposed to meet me in the Cafeteria in a few minutes!" She gave Squall a smile. "Sorry to run, but I gotta! Later, Squall!" She announced as she took of running out of the Quad.

Squall stared after her blankly. Shaking his head, he followed suit and exited the area. When he arrived in the main hallway, he glanced around at the students that passed. He could not help but wonder what everyone was currently up to. Selphie and Irvine were in the Cafeteria – that was all he knew. Judging by the time, he knew that Quistis did not have class, but where she was, Althena only knew. Zell was probably griping because the Cafeteria was out of hot dogs. As for Seifer, he just really did not care.

He shuffled his feet and walked around the Garden, stopping when he arrived outside the Training Center. Figuring he needed to practice (ignoring the fact that there was nothing else to do), he headed in, passing a few people on the way in. Another couple was seen running from the west gate, screaming about a T-Rexaur that they managed to escape. Squall's eyebrows rose when he heard the T-Rexaur mentioned. He entered through the east gate, thinking that if he could devise an ambush attack against the beast, he would be in high regards with himself.

Not long after he stepped foot within the gate, he encountered a trio of Grats. He took them down with ease, slicing one, vanquishing another. He released a sigh and placed the gunblade back into its sheathe, waiting for the next creature to show its face – or whatever. Once he crossed the stone fence by the secret area (and wondering if he should check what was going on through there), he reached the wooden bridges. When he was on the second island, he heard a rustle behind him.

He turned around sharply, just in enough time to land the T-Rexaur's bite on his weapon. He repelled the creature, skidding backwards in the process. Pointing the gunblade at the creature, he waited, and as it took charge, so did he. He rolled under its massive tail and hacked the dinosaur's leg; it let out a shattering roar in response. It brought up its leg, trying to step down on the Commander; however, he continually rolled out of the way of the gigantic beast, causing its foot to only his the dirt. He cursed when he tried to roll out of the way and he gunblade was caught, skidding a few feet away from him. He scattered to his feet and tried to run, the T-Rexaur right behind him. As he passed it, he grabbed the hand of his gunblade, picking it up as he ran. He jumped off to the side as the T-Rexaur hit the rock wall.

Taking advantage of the beasts daze, he caught it in the side with his blade, slicing the stomach. From reflex, the creature jerked its head, almost knocking the male backwards. He regained his posture immediately and brought up his gunblade under the creature's jaw, splitting it into two. It stumbled and crashed to the ground, the fall rumbling the entire Training Center.

He let out a long breath before returning his gunblade to the sheathe. As he stood straight, he jumped slightly when he heard solo clapping behind him. He turned around to see Seifer sitting on the wall, clapping his hands, slowly – tauntingly. He took a step back in caution, as if he was expecting the other male to attack. Seifer hopped down from the wall and leaned back against it, folding his arms.

"Nice display, Commander," he stated with a sly grin. Squall felt his heart begin to pound loudly within his chest. He opened his mouth to comment, but Seifer beat him to it. He shrugged. "Honestly, I didn't think you still had it in you to take down anything in here with the exception of a Grat or two." His jaw clenched. Seifer brought his eyes to look at the younger male, a look of satisfaction playing his face at the obvious annoyance he was causing the Commander. "After all, I didn't think you're pussy-ass could take down anything anymore." Squall went to reply, but Seifer held his hand up to cut him off. "The way you've been acting lately—" He stopped when he saw that Squall's look had changed and adverted his eyes elsewhere. He scoffed. "Oh, give it up, Leonheart!" Squall jerked his head towards the blonde. "I'm only kiddin' around." He kicked some dirt with his boot. "No reason to get your balls in a knot." He walked passed him and stared at the T-Rexaur's carcass.

Squall shoe a quick glance at him, then turned and stared at the wall. "Why…"

Seifer turned to look at Squall when he heard him speak. "What?" He asked, eyes slightly narrowing.

Squall faced him, allowing their eyes to meet only for a second. "Why are you in here, anyway? Don't you have a class to be teaching?"

Seifer snorted a laugh, then cast his eyes up and over his shoulder, crossing his arms again. "You have no concept of time, do you, Leonheart?" He gazed back to him. "Even you know that all classes are released at nine." A confused look overcame Squall's face. Seifer raised a brow. "You weren't aware of the time?" Squall shifted his eyes to a rock on his left, choosing not to reply. "My god. How long have you been in here? Since seven, I presume?" Squall did not reply. Seifer walked up to him and bent down, staring at Squall's face. "Then just to let you know it's almost nine thirty. Maybe time for the kiddies to get to bed." He let a smirk cross his face as he stood straight.

"Then why are you still here?" Seifer's eyebrows rose at Squall's retort, sensing a challenge. Squall looked back to Seifer, meeting his eyes.

Seifer's expression soon changed and he started laughing. "Ha! Nice one, _Commander_. Take you all day to come up with that one?" He grinned as Squall shot a small glare. He put his hand on Squall's shoulder. "You're pathetic, Leonheart." Squall suddenly flinched, the other failing to notice. "Get on the ground where you belong," he finished as he pushed Squall backwards. Expecting Squall to only stumble, Seifer's eyes somewhat widened when he heard the thud of Squall's back hitting the rocky wall.

The brunette stayed still for a moment, leaning against the wall, eyes trailing the ground with a wide expression his face. "Hey—" Seifer started but stopped when he realized that Squall began shivering, as if from an unknown cold. "Come on now…" He said slowly as he tried to approach the young commander. However, Squall would not allow it as he shouted.

"STOP IT!" He screamed as he pushed Seifer back as hard as he could, making the blonde fall to the ground. He stared at Seifer for a mere second before taking off, running from the Training Center, leaving a confused Seifer behind.

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Seifer had not stopped thinking about the earlier events even after he headed off to bed. He stood with his hands on his dresser, staring at himself in the mirror. He wore a loose white t-shit and a pair of black boxers. Cursing, he brought up his hand and slammed it down on the wood, causing the objects on top to rattle.

_What the hell's his problem? All he does is act like a damn pussy-shit! I don't even see why the hell I'm wasting my time on that fool_. He cursed once more, this time kicking the dresser, knocking items off.

He groaned and headed back over to the twin bed that seemed so warming. He climbed in and pulled the covers over his head, trying to block out the thoughts running through his mind. He tossed and turned for what seemed to be ages, bust after another hour or so, he managed to drift off into sleep.

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_A loud yell erupted from the halls D-District prison. Down the halls, an eighteen-year-old Seifer paced around as a guard sent another wave of electricity through a younger version of Squall. He slumped down and panted when the flow stopped, eyes beginning to burn with unshed tears of pain. "Even if you don't talk, others will," Seifer said slowly, resting his gunblade on his shoulder. He took down his blade and continued. "The Instructor, that little messenger girl, or that Chicken-Wuss…He wouldn't last three seconds!" He began to laugh, a cold, cruel laugh. _

Th..they're…_ Squall brought his head up and looked at the blonde. "They're all here?" He asked, almost in a whisper. Seifer smirked, he green eyes reflecting what little light there was. _

_"Oh, you bet." He pointed at Squall. "But since I like you so much, I thought you should go first." His smirk grew wider and he took his arm back, resting his hand on his hipbone. "I was hoping you'd be there, Squall. So, how'd I look in my moment of triumph? My childhood dream, fulfilled. I've become the sorceresses' knight." _

_Squall shook his head as another thought traced through his mind. _Sorceresses' knight. His…romantic dream? But, Seifer…now you're just…_ "A torturer," he managed to get out as his energy depleted him and he went limp, passed out._

_Seifer growled and took a step forward. "What did you say?!" He shouted at the brunette. His eyes narrowed. "Passed out cold, eh?" He threw his hand off to the side. "This is the scene where you swear your undying hatred for me!" He growled again, pure anger showing on his face. He gripped his gunblade tighter and began to make slashes in the air. "The tale of the evil mercenary versus the sorceresses' knight." He held his blade in the middle of the air. Bringing it down, he spat out, "The fun's just started, Squall." He pushed his arms to his side. "Don't disappoint me now!" _

_He gave the cue and the guard in the corner of the room turned on the switch, sending another wave of electric shock through the blue-grey-eyed male. He screamed in shear agony as the wave coursed through his veins, forcing those unshed tears to finally fall from his face. The guard turned down the switch, leaving Squall gasping for air, his body sore. _

_"Well now, Squall. I'll ask again," Seifer continued, taking a step forward once more. "What is SeeD and why to they oppose the sorceress?" _

SeeD…oppose the sorceress?_ Squall began to think to himself. He shut his eyes, trying to allow some of the pain to fade before he was interrogated again, when he heard footsteps enter the room. _

_"Sir Seifer, the missiles targeted for the Garden are ready to launch," an unfamiliar voice spoke, but Squall had not enough energy to turn as see whom it was. _

_He heard Seifer snicker before commenting. "Excellent." The young cadet turned and walked back from the room. The blonde smirked and looked back into Squall's face. "Balamb Garden is to be destroyed on charges of training SeeDs to oppose the sorceress."_

_Squall managed to pull his head up, screaming within his own mind_. WHAT?!_ He looked at Seifer in disbelief through his tired face; he was only met with Seifer's grin plastered to his face. _

_"It's a pity, really. I grew up there, too," Seifer spoke solemnly a he shook his head. He brought his gunblade up directly under Squall's chin, just about touching his voice box. "But orders are orders and Edea wants it destroyed." He brought down his blade just as Squall gathered enough strength to speak._

_"N-No…" He was able to force from his lips as he watched Seifer turn towards the door. _

_"After the Garden's gone, the SeeD hunt will begin." He began to exit the room but stopped just as he reached the door and turned to face Squall, motioning with his gunblade. "I'll be Edea's bloodhound and hunt down every one of your kind." He began laughing again. "It'll be fun, Squall. Don't die on me yet." He snapped his fingers and looked at the guard. "Continue with the interrogation," he commanded before he turned and walked out the door. _

_As he walked down the halls of the prison, he heard the switch turn on and another painful scream come from the brunette._

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Seifer groaned and rolled over in his sleep. Now lying on his back, he stretched and opened an eye, greeted by the still darkness of his room. He cursed to himself and rolled back over onto his side, shoving his pillow of his head. He laid there for a few minutes before growling and throwing the pillow over the side of the mattress. Sighing, he sat up; turning to look at his alarm clock, he blinked in an annoyed manner, seeing that it was still another hour before he had to wake up. He yawned and threw his legs over the side of the bed, figuring that if he went back to sleep, odds are he would not get back up.

He rubbed his face and set his elbows on his thighs, still holding his head. _Another one of the damn dreams_, he thought as he gathered to his feet and walked over to the dresser. Grabbing a new pair of shorts, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of dark wash jeans, he opened the door to his dorm, glancing down the halls. They were still dark, not a movement in sight. He slowly and quietly shut the door behind him as he headed down the hall to the showers.

_This is bull. Having freaking dorm-based showers. We're instructors for Christ sakes!_ He silently cursed whoever had originally decided to have all rooms this way. He entered the bathroom and shut the door, not bothering to lock it. At least there's a good point to getting up this early. I don't have to wait in line for the damn students get out and I don't have to rush so they can be on time. He smirked and started the water. He felt the water to make sure it was the correct temperature before getting in. He opened the cabinet above the sink and pulled out a small bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and soap. Undressing, he stepped into the warm water, closing the shower curtain right after.

Pouring the shampoo into his hand, he began washing his platinum blonde hair, his mind tracing back to the dream_. It's been over a year since all that happened. So why the hell am I still having dreams about it? _He began to scrub his scalp. Is _that was Squall's still so freaking anal about?_ He rinsed the soap from his hair and reached for the bottle of conditioner_. Can't be._ He poured out a dime-sized portion and rubbed his hands together before running the substance through his hair. _Then what is he still going on about? We had some pretty good fights, but that's all over now. So why is it he's the only one who still has a damn problem?_ He washed the conditioner from his hair and reached for the bar of soap.

After finishing his cleaning ritual, he turned off the water taps and stepped out, grabbing the nearest towel. He dried his face and the rest of himself before wrapping the piece of cloth around his waist. He opened the medicine cabinet off to the left of the sink and retrieved his own toothbrush and toothpaste, swearing that if anyone else had even touched it, their head would be off their shoulders. He poured toothpaste onto his toothbrush and began brushing away._ Damn Leonheart. Thinks just because he's the Commander he could do anything he wants. It was probably his pathetic attitude why Rinoa left his ass._ He began scrubbing harder on his teeth. He removed his toothbrush and spit out the foam. Taking a swig of water from the sink, he rinsed his mouth out, then rinsing his brush.

He placed them back in the medicine cabinet in the same position it had been in before. Removing the towel, he began to change into his clothes. He had just finished zipping his jeans when the door to the bathroom opened, revealing a sleepy-eyed Squall. He rubbed his eyes with his shirt – his large, oversized, baby-blue nightshirt. It was not until he had stepped inside the bathroom when he realized that he was not alone. His face shot red when he noticed the other male and, from habit, immediately apologized.

"Sorry! Usually no one's in here this early and…" he stopped when he noticed who he was apologizing to. Seifer grabbed his black shirt and slipped it on before commenting.

"Chill out, Leonheart. I'm finished here." He gathered his clothes that were scattered about the floor. Yet, he could not help but try and force himself not to smirk at what the "Infamous Commander" was wearing. Out of all the clothes on the earth, he would not have even been able to imagine Squall in the getup. Under the incredibly large baby-blue shirt, he wore a pair of short white boxers – the length of it did not even drop down to the middle of his thighs. The shirt covered just as much as the shorts did. "All yours."

Squall blinked and watched as Seifer passed him and walked outside the room, failing to notice at the slight snicker Seifer let out when he noticed that the Commander was barefooted. "Uh…thanks…" He muttered as he walked in and set down his own clothes on the sink counter.

"Oh, and Commander," Seifer said as he looked back at Squall who turned around to face him. "Nice outfit."

The moment he had said that, Squall's face shot red out of anger and embarrassment as he stomped to the door and slammed it shut in Seifer's face. Seifer laughed as he heard the lock click on the opposite side of the door. He chuckled and shook his head as he began to walk back to his own room. Damn, he's a lot smaller than he looks, he thought to himself with a slight snicker. How is it a guy that's in the Training Center faithfully be that small? He laughed at the thought of Squall in the large baby-blue shirt when he reached the outside of his dorm room.

He punched in the code for the door and on command, the door slid open. He folded the white sleeping shirt and put it on his bed after he made it up and tossed the rest in the hamper. Shaking his head, he grabbed his gloves from the top of the dresser and slid them on before grabbing his gunblade, placing it in its sheathe, and heading down to the Cafeteria for breakfast.

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All right! Second chapter completed!! Lol!! Okay, I only got one review for my first chapter, and I was kinda disappointed. If you guys don't like it, I can understand not reviewing. But if you like it, then PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF ALTHENA, REVIEW!! )big puppy eyes) (holds up plate full of cookies) Anyone who reviews gets one!! (waves them around) Loves to those who do!! (waves) 


	3. Conflict

Ah...it took me a little longer to get this up than expected! But! Good news! It's longer than the last two. Lol! Anywho. After some comments and the disclaimer, please enjoy!!!

**NilanTiff **- (greatfully accepts cookies and ice cream) Yay!! Stuffs!!! Ha ha! But I'm happy you like them as much as I do!! (huggles) I hope you enjoy this chapter as well...!!

**Darkyu** - (stares at you) I don't mind a longer review... (stares at you more) I'm just really happy that you like it and read it!! (squeezes until your eyes almost pop out) I hope this doesn't disappoint you!! If it does...I'll cry!!

(Please nore that I only leave comments for signed in reviews. Loves!)

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Squaresoft or any of the original Final Fantasy VIII characters...sadly. (cries) But oh well! I'd feel sorry for them if they belong to me!!

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**Chapter Three: Conflict**

Quistis began to run through some papers that she had picked up from her desk. She walked to the door and headed out, reading each line on all the papers. Students scurried through the halls trying to get to there classes on time while others just stood, either because they did not have class, or they had no intentions of going. As she past a group of teens that she easily recognized, she told them to get to class without even glancing up from her work. The students muttered curses to her under their breath as they walked away from their spot, now heading off to class so as not to get into trouble with the instructor. She paused and looked out onto the lawn of the Garden, staring at the students who sat on the lawn chatting about last night's homework, the opposite sex, and among other things. A breeze picked up, moving her blonde hair.

The day, overall, was fairly nice. It was cool – not too cold and not too hot. The sun was out, shining a bright yellow glisten along the campus, giving in a joyous feeling so early in the morning. The slight breeze felt nice against the cool spring air, as if pushing everyone's paranoid thoughts away. She inhaled the clean air before returning to her paperwork and heading inside. Heading into the Cafeteria, she spotted Zell sitting with Irvine and Selphie in a wall booth at the opposite end of the room. Seeing Selphie wave, she walked over and took a seat.

Selphie turned to her with a smile. "I am so looking forward to this trip!" She hyped as a teenager would going a trip because they are excused from classes for a few days.

Irvine put his hands behind his head. "Oh yeah. Loads of fun. We get to watch over some snot-nosed Garden students. How fun." He smiled innocently when Selphie gave him a disappointed look. He looked as Quistis and made a notion to the papers in her hands. "What's that? Permission slips or something?"

She cleared her throat before replying. "To an extent, I suppose. It's the students health facts. With the exception of one or two, everyone's in good health. Everyone's had their shots, no history of pains, no broken or sprained joints…"

"Well that's good," Zell interrupted as he shook his head. "It would bite if we had to slow down because of an injury." She nodded in response. "Hell, I'm just glad that we get to take the students. They'll have a blast," he grinned as he said the last sentence. "They'll get to experience, not only a different Garden, but for most, this is going to be their first time to a city." Everyone nodded. "Of course, it's so small compared to Esthar."

Selphie laughed. "Anything's small compared to Esthar! However, Deling isn't as confusing to get through, though. And it's easier to get to." She turned her attention back to Quistis. "So, you haven't told us, why isn't Squall or Seifer going? We sure could use the extra assistance."

"I told you. Squall can't leave because he needs to keep an eye over the Garden and he's bounded by paperwork and Seifer—"

"—is just a stubborn ass," Zell cut in, causing all but Quistis to laugh.

She gave him a look of disappointment and he stopped laughing. However, what he said was slightly true. It was not because he was stubborn, but he claimed that he could not take off from his own classes. Unlike theirs, most of his students would not be going on the trip to Galbadia Garden and Deling City. That was the reason Quistis sympathized with him. There were very few students within the Garden that would not attend the trip – some because they did not want to leave the Garden and others because they had so much schoolwork that they would not be able to go on the trip and stay caught up.

"Anyway," Quistis continued. "Everyone, get your things prepared tonight so you don't have to run around like lunatics in the morning gathering everything." She looked at Irvine. "So don't make us late." He shrugged. "If there's anything further, not pertaining to the trip but your classes, speak up now. I don't like last minute questions."

The group stared at one another. Selphie raised her hand as if she were a student in class. "So what exactly will happen to our students that won't be going?"

Quistis cleared her throat. "As I've said, they'll basically have two days off to catch up on any work, which is why they're probably not going. We'll return Sunday, so we'll only have to leave our classes for two days that are in session."

Zell snorted. "Thank god for that."

"So anyway. If there's anything else, just catch up with me later. In the mean time," she gathered to her feet. "I have a class that I need to teach. I suggest you all do the same."

She walked off, leaving the others to disperse as they wished to teach their own classes.

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Squall groaned and held his head, staring at the papers scattered about his desk, with his eyes landing on his pen. He had finished filling out the last bit for Quistis and her team to allow the trip to Deling; now all he had to do was give them to her for the city to allow certain actions. Ever since the war had ended, security did not become lighter as anticipated, but tighter amongst certain areas. Most Gardens, especially Galbadia, tightened their security and cities such as Deling and Esthar were now so strict it was almost impossible to be allowed near anyone of high status. That caused more work for those in charge that wished to send certain people places – such as the Commander of Balamb Garden.

Squall let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair, allowing his blue-grey eyes to stare up at the ceiling. He turned his head, looking out the window. It was still early morning – still early enough to where there was dew on the ground, anyhow. He turned his head towards the door when a knock came about. The door creaked open and a brown-haired female poked her head in.

"Uh…Squall, can I talk to you for a second?" Selphie asked shyly. "If you're busy, I can come back." She turned to leave him and get back to his work. He immediately shook his head.

"What do you need to talk about?" He asked, causing Selphie to turn around.

"Well," she stepped into the office and closed the door behind her, still standing with her hands behind her back. "It's about the Garden Festival." She waited for Squall to acknowledge what she said before continuing. When he nodded, her posture somewhat relaxed. "Well, since I won't be here for four days to take care and see what all's going on, do you think you could just check up on them a few times a day and see if they need anything?" She rolled her head. "Because I really don't trust Leinta in charge. She's a good student and everything, but Huron's now on the committee and when they're together…" she paused. "Things kinda…get out of hand, ya know what I mean?"

Squall raised his eyebrows at the last statement, but leaned back and shrugged in reply. "All right."

Selphie's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Squall!" She smiled. "You're a life savor!" She opened the door and skipped out, shutting it behind her.

Squall smirked to himself and shook his head. _She really is determined about putting on another good production_, he thought as he began to gather up the papers scattered about his desk. He stacked them up neatly and picked them up in his hands as he gathered to his feet. He walked over and exited the office, preparing to find Quistis and giving her said papers. He entered the elevator and pressed the second floor button. The elevator began to rumble and move down, dinging when it arrived. The doors slid open and he stepped out into the hallway.

Walking to Quistis's class, the door slid open when the sensor detected his presence. He stepped in, boots clicking. When he walked in, Quistis was standing in front of her desk talking about the Field Exam, causing him to recall his own Field Exam, which occurred not so long ago, speaking in terms of course. Had it not been for the students glancing over to see the Commander, Quistis would not have even bothered stopping from her lecture. She smiled when she saw him.

"Yes, Commander?" She laughed silently when she picked up on the uneasy aura around her colleague.

Squall held up the papers. "Regarding the trip…"

"Oh, right!" She suddenly spouted, causing some students to jump at the reaction. She walked over to the brunette and he handed her the papers. "Thanks," she replied in a whisper. She turned to her class. "You see, class? If it weren't for our Commander, this trip wouldn't even exist." She glanced over at Squall. Noticing when he rolled his eyes, not wanting any attention, she continued. "So, let's give him a round of applause," she said as she began to clap her hands, the students following.

Squall crossed his arms and looked sideways off to the floor. Seeing that she accomplished her goal, Quistis stopped clapping and headed over to her desk, setting the papers down. She returned and looked back at her class. "Believe it or not, but the Commander used to be in my class as well," she watched as all the students exchanged curious glances. "So I hope that will be an example for some of you. I'm not going to state any names, Rein." A male student in the back gave her an accusing look, almost sympathetic.

Squall shook his head and began to leave, but not before Quistis thanked him for the papers again. Once he was out of the classroom, he asked himself why she always had to do that. He shoved his hands in his pockets and resumed walking, deciding to check up on the rest of the group and their classes.

Finally coming to a decision, he headed off towards Irvine's; figuring to start off checking in to make sure that the Galbadian was not trying to twist the history. He shuffled down the halls until he arrived directly outside the classroom. He opened the door and knocked as he poked his head in. Irvine, who currently had his gun pointing at the wall and pretending to shoot, glanced over and stood straight almost immediately. He grinned innocently, that giving Squall the knowing fact that he was showing off.

He cleared his throat and set down the weapon, walking behind his desk. He rubbed the back of his head as he asked a question about the recent material. When one of the students in the class answered correctly, Irvine let out a long sigh of relief. He turned towards Squall and grinned, putting his hand down. The Commander only shook his head before turning on his heel and walking back out of the door. The brown-haired-male turned back to his class and continued on the lecture, most of the girls leaning on both hands just to get as close as they could to him in their seats.

He trudged along the halls wondering if he dared to step in and see what Zell's class was up to. As he walked, he continued to wonder why Zell had accepted to go into the mechanics field and not decide on Battle Tactics. If anything, he would have figured Zell and Seifer swapping classes. He shook his head and decided to check up on the younger of the two.

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"If you keep this up, you're not going to pass."

Seifer stood with both of his arms crossed, watching one of his students fight off a Grat. The student had already laid several attacks on the creature, but not in the way that was going to impress his mentor. The student gritted his teeth as he leapt back from an attack. Seifer sighed and shook his head, giving the student an annoyed look. "Yeah, great evading, but if you don't start doing the combos I taught you, I will fail you."

The boy gave him an exasperated look before jerking his head back to the Grat. He dodged as the creature tried to hit him with its tentacles. He ran up to the monster and spun, missing another tentacle, and jabbed his sword through the heart of the beast. He pulled back and swung the weapon upwards, the creature still attached, slamming it into the ground – a sickening thud erupting from the throw. He panted as he removed his weapon from the Grat's carcass. The students behind Seifer clapped, one of the girls whistling, but Seifer just looked bored.

He shifted his head off to the side but kept his eyes on the teen. "Well, I guess I can't fail you, but that move was incredibly basic." He continued as the teen wiped sweat from his forehead. "I'll give you a six; it's above passing…but not by much." He sighed as the boy passed him to join his other classmates, a gruff look playing on his face. He cursed Seifer under his breath and at hearing this, Seifer glanced at him. "If you want, I can fail you overall." The teen's mouth dropped open and his classmates snickered behind him. "Take what you get and deal with it." He looked back at a brown-haired female and motioned towards the field. "Claire, you're up."

Her face shot red as the group of girls she was standing with began to giggle. She shot them a glare before walking pass Seifer and into the area. She gripped her twin daggers that were in the cases on her belt and looked around for another Grat. Finally, she spotted movement among the brush and picked up a pebble, chucking it in the area. It hit the creature and bounced off, causing the Grat to let out a strange squeak.

It emerged from the trees, immediately trying to bat her with one of its vine-like arms. She squeaked as she dodged it, causing a group of guys to laugh. She gave them an aggravated look before taking a step forward. As the creature tried to move again, she jumped up and, doing a summersault in the air, brought both hands down – her daggers slid into the creature's skin and with one swift jerk, she pulled the weapons over and out. The Grat was barely able to let out a shriek as both halves of the creature fell off to the side.

She stood straight and sighed, flipping her hair behind her and sticking out her tongue at the group of guys that had laughed at her. She spun her weapons and slid them back into the holster before walking up to Seifer for her grade. He nodded.

"Nine."

She jumped up and ran back to her friends who instantly grabbed hands and hyped. The male from earlier gave her a dirty look, telling her that there was no skill, only luck.

"Oh shut up, Chris. You're just mad because you barely passed!" She shot at him, a smirk twitching on the edge of her lips. Her comrades agreed.

"No, you just suck. You have no skill, Claire. Defeating anything for you is just pure luck," he crossed his arms as he spoke, his friends snickering behind him.

"Oh, go to Hell!" She shouted at him, hand gripping the handle of her dagger.

"Hmph. I'm there everyday I have to look at your face."

Seifer sighed as the groups went at it, shouting insult after insult at one another. He shook his head when the two teens were barely centimeters apart, spouting at each other. Beginning to look annoyed, his eyebrow twitched and he glared at the two. "All right, guys! Knock it off!" They paid him no heed and continued to argue. He clenched his fist, about to give them hell, when he heard the dirt crunch from underneath someone's shoes. He glanced to see the Commander standing by the rock wall at the far end, looking at the two angered teens.

Seifer let out a grunt and a sight as he walked halfway, meeting Squall the other half. "Yes_, Commander_?" He asked, putting emphasis on the last word.

The brunette only raised a brow as he let his eyes travel back to the quarrelling teens. "Having problems?" A slight smirk tinged on the corner of his mouth.

Seifer only grinned, shaking his head. "Oh, no_, Commander_. This is part of the exercise," he spoke innocently. "To see how well they can handle agitation while fighting."

Squall frowned at the comment and crossed his arms. Seifer only shrugged.

"Because you're a pussy! I already have one! I don't need another one!"

"You're such a damn poser! Maybe if we're lucky a T-Rexaur will get you next time you're training!"

Seifer jerked his head to face the two teens. "All right! That's it!" He left Squall and, unsheathing is gunblade, threw it between the two. It landed, the tip sticking in the ground directly between the two bodies. In shock, they jumped backwards, falling while trying to evade. They both looked up at Seifer who had a very agitated look on his face, his brow creased, eyes narrowed. "When I tell you two to shut up and stop arguing, I'm not taking to the damn wall!" He gripped the hand of his sword and pulled it from the soil, resting it on his shoulder. "I'm sick and tired of listening to you two bicker every day! Unless you both want to fail, I suggest you shut it and ignore each other!"

Both teens blinked, Chris moving his head off to the side, staring at a rock on the ground. Claire's face shot bright red out of embarrassment as she got up and dusted herself off, heading back over to her friends. Chris followed suit, walking over to join his own group. The blonde scoffed as he turned, but not before saying, "Now keep it that way or both your grades are going to drop a level."

He walked back over to Squall who just stared and blinked. Seifer slid his gunblade back into its sheathe. He shook his head and glanced up at the taller male. "So, I take it you're not here for a prenup," Seifer started as he looked at the Commander. A few members of the class had decided to tune in and see what all was going on. After receiving a small glare from the blonde, they turned back, pretending to be involved in something else, but secretly listening in. "Which in that case, care to tell me what you _are_ here for?"

Squall cleared his throat and shook his head, ignoring the stares from the teens. "Tell me. How many of your students from this class are going on the trip to Deling and Galbadia Garden?" Seifer raised a brow and brought his hand to his face, holding his chin. He held up his index finger.

"Let's find out." He turned back to face the class. "Hey! People! Pay attention!" They all looked at him. "How many of you are going on this trip?" He paused, continuing before they answered. "And don't bother asking me what trip. I know you guys were listening." Most of the class looked distraught for having been caught, but in the end, only two gave the notion that they were going. Seifer turned back to Squall, a pleased look on his face. "Two." He smirked as he saw the obvious annoyance on the brunette's face.

Seeming satisfied enough, Squall rolled his eyes and did an about-face and left, his black boots making quite thuds on the ground as he walked away. Once he was out of sight, Seifer turned back to his class who were now looking at him, as if waiting for an unknown answer. He was about to call out the next name to go show their abilities, but one of the females beat him to it.

"Um, excuse me Sensei, but who was that person?" She asked, her hands behind her back. The group of girls behind her looked eagerly at the blonde, awaiting his reply. He paused to see that some of the males in the class wanted to know as well.

He pointed back towards the direction Squall left with his thumb. "Who? That guy?" He saw some of the girls nod furiously. He put his hand on his head and let out a low laugh. "You guys are kidding me. You honestly don't know?" He watched their blank stares before letting out a sigh. "That's your all's headmaster, you nitwits." He watched most of the group exchange puzzled glances. One of the males in the class laughed, as well as some of the people around him.

"_That's_ the headmaster?" They asked skeptically. "He's a lot smaller than what I pictured him to look like!" They mocked as most of the class began laughing. Seifer raised a brow at the remark. Just as he was going to reply to the statement, another male cut in.

"I thought that was girl!" More laughter.

"How could someone like that become a headmaster?" Chris asked with a smirk plastered to his face. "Don't you have to certain _qualifications_ beforehand? Like, oh, I don't know, some form of strength? He looks like a wuss."

"Honestly!" Someone else jumped in.

"I swear that I could fight him in a battle and—"

"Watch him kick your ass?" Seifer finished the teen's sentence. Most of the class stopped laughing, but there were still a few who snickered at the comment. Seifer stood with his shoulders straight and his arms across his chest. "I bet that _wuss_ could kick your pansy-ass in any battle you'd want to fight." One of the girls seemed to be holding back a laugh before releasing it in the sleeve of her shirt. Some of the other students were not as kind.

"Oh, yeah right!" Another male with black hair retorted. "He can't even weigh more than a hundred and twenty pounds! He'll probably fall through a crack in the floor!" The comment caused most of the class to start laughing again.

"Oh, really?" Seifer asked as he stood in front of the teen, his arms crossed and both eyebrows raised. "Then I take it you're not aware who it was who defeated to Sorceress and stopped the war so people like you would have a safe place to be." At this almost everyone in the group stopped laughing, their expressions showing embarrassment. "Is he small? Oh hell yes. He's freaking twig. But that doesn't mean he's not skilled. If you're ever able to do half of the things he does, then maybe you can talk."

There was a long period of silence among the group. A lot of the people shifted their gazes to the ground, not wanting to be humiliated about anything. After the silence, one of the girls asked,

"So, Sensei, who do you think would win in a fight?" Seifer glanced at her. "Would you be able to take on the headmaster and win?" All eyes looked at the blonde.

Seifer smirked and shrugged, letting out a slight laugh. "I said he was skilled. I didn't say he was better than me." A few people chuckled. "Even the Commander will never be that good." He stopped for a moment and glanced at his watch. "But, sadly, I can't tell you anymore. Class is over so get the hell out of my sight." He walked over and leaned his back against the rock wall, propping his foot on the wall and crossing his arms, watching his students pass him one by one as they moved out of the Training Center. He caught a few sentences some of the people said on their way out.

Chris scoffed and looked at his ally walking next to him. "Pff…I bet that I could take him." He friend snorted and sighed, limping his arm around the other's shoulder.

"Probably, but will never know, now will we?"

Seifer smirked as they all left, his eyes shut. When he heard the last person leave, he opened his eyes and leaned down, hands on his knees, exhaling. He stood straight and shook his head. "When will they learn you can't mess with fire?" He laughed to himself as he left the center as well.

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Well...what did ya think?! Did ya like it?! Hate it?! (I hope not the latter.) Leave some reviews if ya want me to continue! Otherwise, I can't promise that the next chapter will be up soon. Lol!! Or that could just be my writer's block!! Ha! Loves if ya review!! Frowns if ya don't:( I accept anonymous reviews as well!!!! 


	4. Quarrel

Yo! Ha ha! Well, two weeks for an update isn't that bad...is it? (looks around) Hope that didn't upset you too much. I got it up fast than I go my third chapter up. Heh. Well, I finished most of this chapter in one day...took me a few hours, but I kept thinking of all you guys who wanted to read the continuation to keep me going. So, the usual! After some comments back to you guys who gave a signed review and the disclaimer, I hope you enjoy!

**missblacknightsky** - Well, I can't tell you if what you suggested in your review happens in this chapter or not (because that would be spoiling it and we don't want that), so I guess you'll have to suffer through reading it and find out for yourself!

(Once again, please note that I only leave review comments for **_signed_** reviews)

**_Disclaimer:_** I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or any of the original characters.

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**Chapter four: Quarrel**

Students clamored about the train station in Balamb, all talking hastily, hardly giving anyone else a chance to cut in. Quistis was walking around, making sure that all of the students were there. She had just finished counting all present when she heard familiar voices calling out her name from across the station. She glanced over to see Selphie waving her hands, jumping up and down, and Zell just holding up one hand. She sighed and headed over to see what all the fuss was about. Coordinating a path through the masses of students, she arrived at her destination; Selphie jumped up and spun around in the air as Zell put his hands on his hips.

"They said that they train's going to depart in a few minutes and that we need to get everyone on board," Selphie explained as she swayed on her heels. "And then it's off to Deling!" She looked around the station and then pointed when she found what she was looking for. "Cowboy hat at ten o'clock!"

Zell shook his head and looked both directions. "Wait, your ten o'clock or my ten o'clock?"

"Over there!" She exclaimed as she took off running up to a brown-haired male.

The moment she reached him, she grabbed him by the collar of his trench coat and began pulling him back towards Zell and Quistis, scolding him for showing up only minutes before the train was ready to leave. Irvine apologized repetitively so he would not be hit upside the head or kneed in the shins. Selphie released her death grip on his coat when they reached the others and then stood with her left hand on her hip bone. The two blondes exchanged glances as Selphie continued to harass the sharpshooter for running so late.

Quistis clapped her hands to break them up and get everyone's attention. "All right, everyone! If you'll be quiet, we need to get everyone on this train unless you want to be stuck here in Balamb for a few extra hours to wait for another train." The arguing couple went quiet. "Zell, if you wouldn't mind."

Zell nodded and brought his index finger and thumb to his lips, blowing out, whistling loud enough where most students covered their ears and jerked their heads towards the adults, seeing what the noise was. Zell took his hand down as Quistis cleared her throat.

"Okay, everyone!" She said, loud enough for everyone to hear her. "The train will be departing in a few minutes, so we need everyone to board in a quiet and calm manner." As she said this, the door to the train slid open. "We do have cabins for everyone and there will be a few rules. Number one: opposite sexes are NOT allowed in the same cabin. If you violate this rule, you will spend the rest of the trip there and back with one of us," she motioned to the other three instructors. "Second rule: do not be careless! Though Deling does have high security ("exceptionally high since the sorceress," Zell commented), you still want to watch your back. Muggings are still very common. Third: most of you should know this one. Never keep all your money in the same place. Keep it spread out no matter how much or how little you have." She sighed and looked at the train. Holding out her arm, she continued. "Now go ahead and board. We'll distribute the keys to your cabins once the train begins to leave."

After the last statement, all the students began to file onto the train, talking and laughing about anything and everything. Once they were all on, Quistis looked back to the others and smiled. "Shall we get on?"

Selphie squeed (1) and jumped as she ran to the entrance on the train. She waved her arm to the others before dashing inside. Irvine laughed nervously as Zell grinned. "She really hasn't changed at all, has she?" Zell asked as Quistis walked passed him to board. Irvine shook his head and glanced at the blonde male.

"She still loves trains, huh?"

Quistis glanced at the two still standing. "Come on, you two. Don't make us late." With that said, she headed off inside the door. Zell sighed before running up to the door and following the other's moves. Irvine kicked some dirt with his boot before following suit.

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Squall walked out of the library, his hands behind his head. Since the others had left earlier that morning, the Garden had been much quieter, almost to the extent of being eerie. Before they headed out, Quistis had him give a short speech to the crowd about the safety in Deling and not to be too rowdy, whereas they were representing Balamb Garden; and to continue that persona especially at Galbadia Garden. Though Quistis was always trying to include Squall in everything, and as much as he was annoyed by it, he could not really blame her. He had become much more of a recluse over the past few months, but he still did what he needed to.

He yawned as he brought his arms down and stretched, his spine popping in several different locations. He leaned forward to take some of a strain, however failed to see where he was going and ran into the bench outside the library entrance. He let out a grunt as he caught himself on the back of the bench and made a quick glance to see if anyone noticed his little accident. He cleared his throat and pushed himself straight, making sure his jacket was not crooked. Looking around, he shrugged his shoulders and moved to sit down. Once sitting, he fell backwards, now laying on the wooden bench and staring up at the ceiling. He moved his hands behind his head and bent his left knee; smirking slightly to himself, he recalled that even when he was a student he never just laid back – especially in the middle of the Garden.

Yawning, he figured that he should head back to his office to see if anything had come in since he departed that morning. Figuring that staying in his current position for a few moments longer would not hurt, he shifted his legs and shut his eyes, listening to the sounds of the water fountains as the water flowed out into the water surrounding the Garden.

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Selphie sighed as she threw herself onto the bottom bunk in the train's cabin. She moved around before sitting up roughly and watching Quistis move about the room, as if inspecting it for any slight faults. Deciding that everything was in order, she moved to sit down on the couch-like bench in front of the cabin's window. Selphie smiled, showing nothing but teeth, he eyes going into the shape of a "n."

"I can't wait for everyone to experience what it's like in a real city!" She exclaimed, her eyes on the older instructor. "It's going to be so much fun!" At this, she threw her hands up and fell back onto the bed.

Quistis nodded in reply. "But don't forget. Everyone has to have a close eye on the students. Deling's very easy to get lost in…if you don't recall how long it took us to find to Governor's Mansion on our first visit." Selphie stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry.

"Don't remind me. Sheesh, if it wasn't for the fact that the trolley attendee told us where to find the correct trolley to take us there, I wonder if we ever would have found it."

The blonde shrugged. "Navigating around the Tomb of the Unknown King was easier than trying to get through Deling City the first time." She shook her head. "At least we're not going to Esthar. I couldn't image trying to get everyone through there without anyone getting separated." Selphie laughed at the comment.

She brought herself to a sitting position and skipped to her feet, her brown boots scuffing the carpet. She pointed towards the cabin door. "I'm going to go see what the guy's are doing and make sure they're not going to kill one another."

Quistis held her hand to her mouth as she let out a slight laugh. Gathering to her feet, she followed behind Selphie to the door. "And I'm going to check up on the students and make sure everyone's situated in their cabins. It'll be nightfall before we arrive, so I hope everyone won't be at each other's throats."

Selphie nodded as the door slid open and she exited, taking a left and trailing to another cart that held the boy's cabin. Quistis turned on her heel, walking to the end of the cart and the beginning of another. Knocking on the door, she heard a loud thud just as a teenage girl with black hair opened the door. She told her roommates to be quiet and turned her head to face the instructor. Quistis motioned with her head to the other girls in the cabin.

"Everything all right in there?" She asked, a stern look playing on her features. The room captain nodded.

"Yes ma'am. Just excited about this trip."

"Hell yeah, we are!" One of the girls in the background called out. The roommate she was quarrelling with laughed and told her to be quiet as she hit her with one of the pillows.

Quistis nodded as if to say 'okay' before bringing her attention back to the room captain. "Just be sure to keep it down, all right?" The cadet replied with a 'yes ma'am' before closing the door. Quistis heard another thud from inside the room before hearing hysterical laughter soon after. She smirked and shook her head, going to the next room.

It was a few rooms later before she came to one that when she knocked, no one answered. She grunted and knocked again, this time slightly louder. She heard the locks on the opposite end unlock and the door slid open, revealing a sleepy-eyed redhead with ruffled hair. Quistis peeked in behind her to see her two roommates asleep – one had their pillow over their head and the other was asleep on their stomach, their arm and leg hanging off the edge of the bed. "You guys okay in here?" She asked, looking back to the redhead.

The girl rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Just trying to get some sleep so we'll be wired when we get to the city, instructor." Quistis nodded.

"Who's your room captain?"

The girl turned back to the sleeping teens. "Uh…her," she replied, pointing to a brown-haired female, the one that was asleep on her stomach. "Katie McKiernan," the girl said the other's name for Quistis to know. The instructor nodded once more before giving the okay for the girl to return.

As the door slid shut, she headed back to her own cabin now that she finished checking on all the girls. She slid her card, causing the door to slide open and invite her in. Realizing that Selphie had yet to return, she figured she'd follow the last cabin's moves and take a short nap before they arrived in Deling. She laid down on the bottom bunk and set her head down. Not long after, she managed to drift off into a siesta.

Selphie, on the other hand, was having a much more fun filled time…yelling at Irvine as always. She shook her head and pointed an accusing finger at Zell.

"And you have no room to talk on the matter! You were the one who gave him the incentive!"

Zell gave a pleading look, not knowing what to reply. They were fighting over the fact that the moment Selphie had walked into the cabin, she was ambushed with pillows. Just as Zell had opened the door, and Selphie stepped inside, Irvine came up behind her and thwacked her over the head with said pillow. She shook her head in aggravation.

"But Selphie—!!" Irvine tried to cut it, but was cut off as the female held up a hand.

"Don't even, mister," she said in an annoyed tone as she pulled her head off to the side. "You hit me with a pillow, your girlfriend, then you have to pay the consequences!" She walked passed Irvine and grabbed something from behind him. "And here they are!" She cried out. Zell pointed to Selphie\, his mouth agape. Irvine jerked around just in time to be smacked in the face by the pillow he had dropped after Selphie first yelled at him.

He stumbled backwards as Selphie hit him again in the back of the head. "He-hey! Where's the equality in you hitting me?!" He yelled out. Selphie stopped for a moment as she brought her hand to her face, as if thinking.

After a moment of silence, she shrugged. "Guess there isn't any." As soon as she finished, she hit him with the pillow again. In defense, he grabbed a pillow off the bunk bed and brought it up to shield himself from Selphie's attacks. After calling out for Zell to lend a hand, the blonde approached the female, but as soon as he was behind her, she turned and swung, hitting him upside the head. He fell backwards, landing on his butt with his hands behind him. Seeing the chance he needed, Irvine hit Selphie in the chest with the pillow in his hand, causing her to stumble back. At this, she tripped over the fallen Zell; once she was on the floor, Irvine joined in the dog pile.

Grabbing one of the pillows from the couch in the squabble, Selphie was now armed with two – one for protection and the other as a weapon. In the midst of it all, Zell was getting pummeled, whereas he had no pillow to shield or hit with. He finally managed to grab one of the other pillows on the couch and when he swung, he ended up hitting Irvine. He cried out against the blonde and pelted him with his pillow.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Selphie called out from under Irvine's torso as she hit his in the head again.

For the next half-hour or so, all they did was have a pillow fight nonstop. At the end of it all, all three lay on the floor panting, having used up most of their energy and the adrenaline rush was fading. Selphie's hair was in a wrecked state, and the boy's were no better. Irvine's ponytail had come undone and the knots in his hair looked as if they would never come out. Selphie grunted as she pushed her self up and stood, shaking her head. She tossed her pillow on the top bunk and looked at the two males. "Well," she panted. "You two should go check up on your cadets!" She said, though it sounded more of a command. "I'm going to go back to my cabin and see what Quistis is doing." She pulled down her eyelid and stuck out her tongue before walking out the door.

Zell stared after her in disbelief. "Oh, that's crude!" He said, blowing a piece of hair from his face.

------------------------

"Shh!"

Small laughter.

"I said be quiet!"

"You're being louder than us, Chris!"

"Is he dead?" A female voice giggled.

"He sure acts like it."

Chris, the boy from Seifer's earlier class, was crouched down, poking a sleeping male with the end of one of his daggers. He and two of his classmates had just exited the Training Center and, instead of going to the dorms after class like most of their other classmates, they were going to go to the front gate. However, they managed to stumble across a sleeping male on the bench outside the library. The teen scratched the back of his head in confusion, ruffling his black hair. The other male he was with put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on a second," he commanded as he leaned over the sleeping teen. He slid his index and middle finger under a chain around the other's neck and brought it to the front, revealing the form of a lion's head at the end of the chain. "Would you look at that?" He muttered. Chris and the girl they were with glanced over, their eyebrows rising.

"Now that's a wicked chain," the blonde female commented as she blinked.

"I'll say," Chris agreed.

They all jerked back, the male holding the chain instantly released it, as the male shifted position on the bench. He did not, however, wake at all. His breathing stayed regular as he turned his head to face the back of the bench, arm now lying across his stomach. The surrounding teens let out a sigh of relief and returned to their former positions. The girl held her hand to her chest as she looked around.

"You guys, maybe we should ditch before either he wakes up or someone comes around."

Chris waved his hand to shush her. "Don't worry. This guy's sound asleep and we'll see if someone walks by." He scanned the passed out male. "You know, there is something I have to wonder." Both of the attendees turned their attention towards him. "Why is it this guy wears three belts?" He gripped the bottom of the other's white shirt with his index finger and thumb.

"Chris, don't," the female said as she looked around before giving her ally a stern look.

"Chill out, Ames," he shot back, giving her a glare. She jerked back, appalled that he would snap at her. She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side with a huff.

"Fine. Get in trouble. See if I care."

He shook his head and dismissed her comment as he slightly lifted up the male's shirt, showing the rest of his belts and part of his torso. He took his hand back and looked up at the other male, his elbows on his knees, whereas he was still crouching. His friend only shook his head and shrugged, not knowing what to say. Chris scoffed and turned to face the other teen, his eyes fluttering behind his eyelids.

"There is no way in hell that this guy is our headmaster," he muttered, a crude look washing over him. "No way." His ally shook his head at the other's comment.

"Come on, man. Let's get out of here before someone decides to show up and thinks that we're doing something."

Chris turned to face him, his facial expression giving him a 'what are you talking about' look. "What are they gonna think we did? He was just laying here."

The brown-haired male shrugged. "I don't know. They might think we drugged him or something. Can we just get?"

Chris sneered before laughing. "Ha. If anything, they'd think that he hurt himself while in the Training Center." He put the palm of his hand on his forehead, his chest vibrating as he laughed silently. "He probably doesn't have an ounce of muscle on him." When he finished his sentence, Squall had shifted again, his forearm that was on his stomach was now against the back of the bench and his other arm laid flat beside him. Chris leaned over the brunette again and brought up his hand, hovering over the other's shirt. "How much you wanna bet…" he trailed off as he gripped the bottom of the white shirt.

His friend let out an annoyed, but fretful, sigh as he watched his comrade. "Come on…just leave him alone and let's get."

The girl finally spoke back up, her hands now on her hips. She moved one arm off to the side dramatically. "You know, I'm going to laugh when he wakes up while you're doing this and you get suspended or expelled," she snorted.

The black-haired male's expression had changed to a careful one as he slowly began to pull the Commander's shirt up. "Well that…won't happen. He sleeps heavily enough," he said under his breath. "Besides," he paused his movements for a moment. "I just want to see if he has any muscle. A six-pack…something to prove he's not as pathetic as he looks."

"How about when he wakes up and kicks your ass for touching him?" A deep voice said from behind.

Chris let out a gasp as he let go and dropped his actions. He jumped to his feet and backed up from the six-foot-two blonde that stood behind him with his arms crossed. His two allies had shifted behind Seifer, both shaking as they stared at their mentor, expressions fearful. Chris opened his mouth to think of an excuse but all he was able to get out was,

"S-Sensei! Uh…this – we're not – I'm just—"

"In deep shit," Seifer stated as he glared down at his student.

Chris sputtered for a moment before finally smiling nervously as he put his hand behind his head. "Uh…yeah." He noticed that his allies had shifted steps further back from their instructor, nervous looks on their faces.

"What is it with you and your shear stupidity?" Seifer asked, purely rhetorical. "To not only insult your headmaster, but to mess with him?" The teen tried to respond, but Seifer cut him off. "Let me say this, Chris," he glanced back at the other two. "And you guys as well." He looked back to Chris. "Unless you guys want to fail my class and get expelled from here, I suggest you stop messing with what you can't handle and get the hell out of here. So if I were you, I'd be heading to my dorm and think about staying in there for the rest of the evening." He paused. "Unless you want to deal with Squall after her wakes up and finds out what you're doing."

"Uh…uh…yes sir!" Chris yelped as his allies moved around, now standing next to the black-haired male.

"Now, get back to your dorms before I lose my temper," he commanded, his green eyes piercing through them. The all squeaked a 'yes sir' as they took off running towards the dormitories. "Expect two points deducted from your average!" He yelled after them before they turned the corner, disappearing from sight. He groaned and lolled his neck, facing Squall, who was still knocked out. "You do sleep like you're dead, Leonheart," he scoffed as he did an about-face and headed off back towards the Training Center.

* * *

(1) **Squeed** – to scream slightly loud in a high pitched tone. Also known as the _fangirl's squee_.

So...what did you all think?! I had music from The Bouncer, Phantom of the Opera, and so much more to get me through this chapter! So...usually, what I type depends on the type of music I'm listening to. Ha. Anywho! Please review so I know if I should continue to update!! Remember! I only leave review comments for _signed _reviews!

Loves!!


	5. Evoked

Okay!! Let's do this thingy!! Lol! I finally finished chapter five. I apologize it took so long. I had a MAJOR case of writers block and I had to help my mum plan for our trip to Ireland. It's kind of my seventeenth birthday present. Gotta love it. That and the fact that a trip to Rome, Italy, Florence, and Venice was too expensive. Plus, I have history in Ireland. Okay. Enough about that! I only received TWO reviews for my last chapter and yet so many more hits. Come ON people! If you want me to keep updating, you're gonna have to prove that you want me to do so. If you don't review, I'm going to assume that you don't like it and just halt it.

Anywho! After the disclaimer, enjoy!!

**Disclaimer:** They STILL don't belong to me! They won't sell me that characters!!! . Curse you, Squaresoft!!

* * *

**Chapter five: Evoked**

"Does he not know how much trouble he's going to be in when I get my hands on him?! First, I'm going to wring my hands around his neck and strangle him! Then I'm gonna – I'm gonna – !! Oh!" Selphie stomped her foot on the floor, her fists clenched at her side. Quistis was trying to calm the brunette down, but was hardly succeeding. "How dare he disobey rules! Just because he's a teacher…I'm gonna kill him!"

It was only natural that she spoke about Irvine – yet after what he did, no one could blame her for getting upset. Even Quistis was surprised that she was not getting so upset about the incident. After they had arrived at Deling, the group was supposed to head straight to the hotel to unpack and settle in for the night; as well as going over tomorrow's events. Yet Irvine had taken a group of six students to Hyne even knew where without alerting anyone else about it.

Zell had already headed off to find the Galbadian and had been gone for a while now. In the meantime, Quistis and Selphie decided to take the rest of the students to the hotel before heading off to the lobby to wait for the boys to show up with the rest of their students. It was within the hour when they heard laughing coming from outside the doors and Irvine and Zell came trotting in with the six students. They all ceased their laughing when they spotted the two female instructors, arms crossed and their feet tapping.

They sent the students to their assigned rooms before giving Irvine an earful. By the end, Irvine's face was red and he was kneeling in front of Selphie apologizing over and over again. She hit him over the head and turned on her heel, leaving to go to her own room without saying another word. Quistis followed behind her leaving Irvine with an apologetic look. He gathered to his feet and went running after them, trying to apologize to Selphie even more-so. Zell whistled innocently as he decided to head down the stairs and have a drink…or three.

-----------------------

Seifer stood leaning on the handle of his gunblade as he watched the Commander take down a few grats from a little ways away. He smirked when he saw Squall stumble for a moment and paused, glanced sideways off in Seifer's direction. An annoyed, yet pouty expression came over the brunette's face when he saw the blonde watching him: Seifer just waved - his usual grin on his face. Squall turned back and took off farther into the Training Center. Seifer sighed and pulled his sword up, resting it on his shoulder.

_Talk to him for two seconds and then he's right back to his regular, stuck-up self,_ Seifer thought, his expression dropping. He scuffed the tip of his boot before following after Leonheart, acting as if he was there to do nothing more than train his skills, just with Squall there at the same time. He came upon a grat that jumped out of the bushes when he passed. He did nothing more than turn around, bringing his gunblade up and slicing the creature in two. It did not even have enough time to screech as both halves fell to the ground. Wondering if the carcass would attract the attention of a T-Rexaur, he thought about hanging around the area to see, but decided against it and continued to follow after his target.

After a moment that he could not find Squall, he put his hand on his hip, wondering where the Commander could have gotten to. His questions were answered as he heard a loud roar from around the bend on the other side of the rock wall, passed the secret area. He scratched his head, curious as to why one was able to encounter more T-Rexaur's passed the secret area rather than before it. He shrugged, disregarding his thoughts, and treading after the noise.

When he came upon Squall again, the teenager had just jumped back from the creature's attack, its tail lashing backwards with its movements. He held his sword straight in front of his face and Seifer knew what he was about to do. He stuck the tip of his sword into the ground and sat down with a plop, hands holding his chin as he watched Squall complete, yet again, his Renzokuken. He watched as the brunette charged at the creature and unleashed his blows one right after another, the T-Rexaur not even having time to try and defend itself. Squall jumped back, however, the attack was not yet over. Seifer frowned as he watched Squall commit his Rough Divide attack to finish off the beast. The dinosaur hit the ground with a loud thud, rocking the entire area.

Seifer raised a brow as he saw Squall pant, trying to catch his breath. _Either that just wore him out or he's incredibly low on stamina,_ he thought as he stood and dusted himself off. Just as he removed his weapon from the ground, he heard the clink of weapons drop behind him and he turned to see two of his students staring open-mouthed. The two students, Chris and his usual lackey, the brown-haired male, just stared, unable to form words. They made a quick glance to Seifer, as if seeking confirmation that what they just witnessed was real; the blonde's only reply was a grunt as he turned back to face the front and walk after Squall who had already left the area.

He trailed behind him and watched as the brunette's shoulders continued to pump up and down, giving the notion that he was trying to catch his breath. Seifer cursed under his breath. _Better now than never, I suppose_, he thought and walked up straight behind him. He extended his arm and grabbed Squall's shoulder.

"Hey!" He said, and as he did, Squall jerked around.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted as he spun around so fast it caused Seifer to jerk back in surprise.

He saw Squall's chest vibrate up and down so rapidly, it gave the impression that he had just finished running a marathon. Sweat covered his forehead and he had dark circles under his eyes.

"Damn, Leonheart, you look like crap," Seifer said in a ratified manner. The other's expression did not change. Now that Seifer saw him close up, he realized the exhausted look the Commander wore. He usual bright eyes were incredibly dull – it looked as if he had not had a decent sleep in ages. Yet, that was impossible. Just yesterday, the brunette was passed out on the bench outside the library. It had not occurred to Seifer then, but now, he realized how tired Squall would have had to be to sleep in broad daylight in the middle of the Garden. He watched as Squall took a step backwards.

"Just back off," Squall said angrily as he looked up at the blonde who gave him an annoyed, yet concerned, look. He turned to leave, but Seifer latched onto his wrist and refused to let go when the other tried to shake him off.

"Damn it, Leonheart, just chill the hell out!" He demanded as Squall struggled. Squall ceased his movements and stared off to the side, as if entranced by a pebble that was lying there. "Tell me, Commander, when was the last time you actually had a decent night sleep?" He demanded, though even to him, he was not really sure why he was concerned. When Squall failed to reply, it seemed to infuriate the other. "Or a better question, since none of you squad's around to interrupt this time, do you want to go ahead and tell me what the bloody hell your problem is?"

Squall kept his eyes averted to the side as he mumbled, "Nothing." He glanced back up at Seifer, seeming a little more clamed down, as if now his breath had caught up with him from his attack on the T-Rexaur. Seifer gritted his teeth and jerked Squall around to face him, still holding onto his wrist.

"Bullshit, Leonheart!" His green eyes glared down at the brunette who went silent. "You've been avoiding me at all costs and frankly, it's really starting to get on my nerve!" Squall flinched as he pulled his head back off to the side, eyes clamped shut.

"I – I don't know," he said calmly as he tried to get Seifer to relinquish his wrist. "Just let me go…" he trailed off as Seifer's eyes narrowed.

He tightened his grip on the Commander's wrist and they began to struggle, Squall trying to pull his arm back while Seifer continued to tighten his grip. Squall had begun to pull back hard, which made Seifer just put more pressure on his hold.

"Let me go!" He cried out, tugging his arm.

"Not unless you want to start talking!"

The two bodies moved back and forth, all the while, Squall bracing himself against the ground as his constantly pulled back on his arm, making the blonde to pull him forward. The Commander latched onto Seifer's wrist with his free hand as he tried to push on the other's pressure point so he would let go. However, Seifer only grabbed Squall's other wrist and pushed him backwards; he ended up having Squall in such a tight hold, that the Commander was unable to break free at all.

"Now tell me what your problem is!" Seifer demanded as Squall clenched his eyes tightly shut and pulled back.

"I – it's nothing! Just let me go; you're hurting me!" He cried out as he tried to jerk his wrists free again. In response, the blonde only put more force on his hold.

"Like it's really hurting you!" He replied in a sarcastic tone. "I'll let you go when you open up!"

Squall cringed. "I don't know!" He fought again. "Let go, it really does hurt!" He shouted at him.

"Like I care if you're in pain!" At this, Squall stopped his efforts, his eyes widening. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what I want to hear!"

Through all the arguing, Seifer failed to notice that the Commander's breaths had become very fast and shallow. The blonde's knuckles had begun turning white from holding onto the other's wrists for so long that it was when he started to lose feeling in his own hands did he realize the body movements of the brunette. Squall's eyes had widened, almost to the point of looking fearful; his breaths had become so quick and shallow, it appeared that he was hyper-ventilating.

Seifer skipped a breath as he loosened his grip on the younger teen. He brought his arms down and released his hold, seeing a red hand print wrapped around each of Squall's wrists - already they had begun to from nasty bruises. His expression widened and he bit his bottom lip.

"Oh god…Squall," he said as he reached out. Squall jerked backed.

"D-don't touch me…" he trailed off as he kept his head towards the ground.

Seifer paused before reaching out once more. "Squall...please, just let me—"

"I said don't touch me!!" He shouted as he jerked backwards and stared at Seifer, his eyes as wide as they could go. His bluish-gray eyes were shining, but lacking the correct reasons thereof. He began to back up, his body shaking. "J – Just leave me alone…" he said, practically in a whisper as he turned around and took off across the fence-like bridge and out the iron-gated door.

Seifer stood, dumbfounded, as if unable to believe what just happened; he continued to stare at the now shut door.

------------------

It was later that evening and Squall stood in front of his dresser, new ace bandages on his wrists. Though Dr. Kadowaki had gone on the trip with Quistis and the others to aid in case something happened, her office was still open so those that stayed would be able to get things they may need in case they were injured. Now there was a black, blue, and purple handprint on each of his wrists and the last thing he wanted was for someone to notice them. Then questions would arise on how he received them and he would prefer those questions not be asked.

He sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. He released another breath and glanced out the window that overlooked the city of Balamb. Deciding it was best to put his thoughts on hold, he pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, hoping that tonight he would be able to have a restful sleep. After staring at the ceiling for what seemed to be hours, he managed to drift off to sleep.

-------------------

"_Oh, come on, Leonheart! What's wrong? Afraid you're going to get hurt?" Seifer taunted as he traced directly behind Squall, his gunblade tapping the bottom of his shoe. "That's why you're here. To train." He smirked as he saw Squall stop. He followed his actions and shook his head. "Fighting monsters isn't the only thing you'll be doing, you know. You will come across people. Now I can see if you don't think you're fully trained…" he trailed off, knowing that his words were starting to tweak the trainee._

_The gray sky and constant crashing of thunder and lightning were not helping the mood in the slightest bit. If anything, it was making both members more agitated. _

_Squall did not say a word for a minute, but after the silence, he turned his head to look back at the blonde. "You say I'm not trained well enough, then have you picked up on the fact that there is a T-Rexaur behind you?" _

_Seifer raised a brow and was about to reply when he was interrupted by a loud roar. He spun around to see the dinosaur charging for them. He sighed and took a deep inhale, staring back at Squall who unsheathed his weapon. Seifer laughed and motioned to the brunette as he propped his gunblade against his shoulder._

_"Put that thing away before you hurt yourself," he smirked as he saw anger flash across Squall's face. "Or at least just do what I do. Maybe then you'll stand a chance at taking this thing down."_

_He moved his right foot behind his left and jumped out of the way as the creature's jaws clamped down on the spot where he had just been standing. He watched as Squall jumped up and slid the tip of his blade across the creature's side. He screeched and whipped its tail around to knock the young Squall back. The teen moved out of the way with ease as he heard Seifer let out a small shout. _

_"Watch it, Leonheart," he said as he jumped back from the T-Rexaur's head. "You're gonna make that thing hit me."_

_Squall replied as he shifted out of the way from the creature's hind leg. "Maybe that was the plan."_

_Seifer only scoffed at Squall's comment and told him to step back. "Watch how this is really done." He walked up to the dinosaur and pointed his gunblade. "Come at me, you ugly beast." The creature shook its head and headed for Seifer who leapt out of the way and came down on its head, causing the beasts jaw to hit the dirt. Seifer jumped off to the side and as the creature tried to regain its balance, he brought the sword up and into its stomach, slicing all the way to its neck. _

_It roared and began to sway side-to-side as Seifer hopped back, now standing next to Squall. He grinned and they both watched it fall and crash into the ground, rumbling to area. He propped his gunblade back onto his shoulder and turned to face the grey-eyed male. "So now I see why you won't do a quick battle with me. You're afraid you're going to lose." He shrugged. "Of course with these moves and this skill, who can blame you?" _

_He chuckled as Squall began to walk away. He grinned and moved his head off to the side before picking up walking again. After a moment, he stopped suddenly, eyes going wide. "Leonheart! Watch it behind you!" _

_"Wha--?"Squall got out as he spun around sharply, a sword hitting a large rock next to his head. Seifer stood looming over him, a grin plastered to his face as he held his gunblade in position, not allowing it to slide from the rock. He laughed slightly before staring into Squall's eyes, which were currently glaring at him. _

_"You see, Squall? Had I have been an enemy, you would have just lost."_

_Squall growled. "Why you—"_

_Seifer cut him off as he took down his blade. "No wonder you don't want to face off against me. I'm way too fast for you to handle." Though his blade's tip was now facing the ground, he continued to stand directly in front of the brunette, his free hand on the rock wall. "Don't you want to try and prove me wrong?" Squall clenched his jaw. "Awe, what's wrong, Squall? Getting agitated?" He asked in a sarcastic sympathetic tone. "You really aren't all that powerful, are you? You're just as weak and pathetic as everyone else. Just as much as all the other trainees…because that's all you're ever going to be."_

"_Back off!" He shouted at Seifer as he shoved him backwards. _

_Seifer jerked his gunblade from the soil and pointed it at Squall. "Show me I'm wrong. Come at me, Leonheart." _

_He shook his head and turned to the side, ready to walk away. He heard Seifer's shoes scrape on the ground behind him and he turned around, unsheathing his sword, meeting Seifer's blade directly on his. The clash of metal resounded throughout the area. The blonde smirked. "I knew you couldn't just walk away." He brought his blade back and as he came down again, Squall's met his own for the second time. He pushed the brunette back, causing Squall's shoes to dig into the ground as he tried to stop from skidding back too far before he brought up his sword to clash with the others._

_Their gunblades collided; Seifer pushed up and around on the other's making Squall's weapon to fly into the air as the brunette jumped back. He dodged an oncoming attack as Seifer swung to clash with his rival's side. Squall heard his gunblade hit the ground a few feet away just as another clap of thunder boomed and when he jumped back to avoid Seifer's attack, he saw where it landed. He ran to remove it from the soil - the moment that he unearthed it Seifer pointed his gunblade back at the brunette. _

"_Come on, Squall! Show me what you can do!"_

_Squall growled as he took a running charge at the blonde, swinging upwards; Seifer stopped the attack with ease and shoved the other male back. He ran towards him, ready to collide, Squall doing much the same. He spun around and extended his arm holding his weapon to come in contact with the other's sword. The attack caused both teens to switch sides and as the blonde turned to send another blow, Squall brought down both hands to meet the other's blade once again. _

_Seifer warded off the attack and snickered at Squall's attempts. He ran forward, causing Squall to miss as he tried to bring down his weapon. Seifer stopped and held back his gunblade, bring his hand up and motioning for Squall to come on. As Squall moved forward, Seifer stepped back, bringing out his arm, clashing metal against metal. He reached forward to jab the brunette, but Squall was prepared and swung his own off to the side, fading the others attack. He brought up his gunblade and hacked Seifer's away. He moved forward to lay another blow, yet Seifer pulled up his blade and met him in the middle. They both pulled back and Squall swung again as Seifer tried to jab, knocking his opponents attack back. Seifer replied by jerking up his arm and clashing with Squall's gunblade, sparks flying from the colliding metal._

_Squall ducked as Seifer tried another blow, the other's blade whizzing by the top of the brunette's head. He pulled up; trying to strike at Seifer once more, but the blonde was ready and warded off the attack. He repelled the younger teen, causing him to skid back in the dirt once again. "Using both hands to wield your weapon and you still can't match up!" Seifer taunted right before Squall shifted back, swinging his blade and missing. He swung again and Seifer brought up his sword to block the attack. The brunette swung again, this time Seifer barely blocking it in time. He continued to hack away, trying to break through the blonde's barrier by knocking his sword from his hands. Seifer sneered and jerked back his arm, bringing down the gunblade and just missing as Squall jumped back. _

_Squall spun his gunblade in a circular motion before charging back at the blonde; Seifer moved his head off to the side as he held up his hand to cast fire. Squall's eyes widened and he pulled up his sword in front of his face to block the attack – the attack crashed into the metal, sending the brunette backwards, causing him to fall and hit the ground. Seifer smirked as Squall cringed while trying to get back up. He shifted and as he tried to pull himself up, missed Seifer lifting up his gunblade, a look of sheer sadistic amusement on his face. Squall just managed to make it to one foot when he saw the other, now unable to miss the attack. _

_Seifer swung down, slashing Squall directly across the face from his right brow bone to the left side of the bridge of his nose – the brunette let out a shout as he jerked his head off to the side as blood splattered onto the rocky ground. He jerked his head back towards Seifer, – who was snickering at him, not at all phased by what he had done – blood coveting the left side of his face and slightly trickling down the right crease of his nose. He let out a growl as he slid, tracing the tip of his gunblade on the ground and catching Seifer off guard, returning the favor and slicing him from the right side of the bridge of his nose to his left brow bone. _

_Squall stood watching as Seifer let out a yell, bringing his hand up to hold in the gape of his face – Squall panted, trying to catch his breath, his weapon still crossed across his torso. Seifer pulled his head sharply to face the brunette, only his left eye visible, narrowing and glaring, shooting daggers. "You—"_

_He stopped as he saw the other's body begin to sway. Squall's vision became blurry and he clamped his eyes shut, jerking his head off to the side. He released his grip on the gunblade, the sword hitting the ground, clinking as the metal fell against rock. He held his head with his left hand, blood getting on his black glove, as he tried to step backwards, stumbling in the process. Seifer slightly pulled his hand away from his face as he watched; the younger teen stumbled forward, body beginning to fall. _

_From reflex, Seifer extended his arm off to the side, catching him across the chest just before he hit the ground. "…the hell…?"He muttered as he stared at Squall, not sure on what to do. He shifted the brunette's weight to his other arm to see that his both of his eyes were shut, his breathing now regular. "You gotta be kidding me." He gripped Squall's hair and moved his head. "Damn it, Leonheart. You better wake up before I just leave your ass here!" He glared, but when Squall did not even shift in the slightest, Seifer let out an agitated grunt. "Goddamn it," he muttered as he let go of the other's hair and shifted him to where he could sheath his gunblade and pick up Squall's. _

_His arm was around Squall's upper back and, cursing at the brunette, he moved his other arm and lifted up Squall by the bend of his knees. He began to head out, taking Squall to the infirmary. "One battle and you pass out because of a slight wound." _You are pathetic_, he scoffed. _

_Once outside the infirmary, he headed in, seeing Dr. Kadowaki. She glanced at who entered the infirmary; seeing both teens, she automatically jumped to her feet. _

"_What happened?" She asked worriedly, seeing the wounds on both faces. _

_Seifer shrugged as he headed into one of the rooms, setting Squall down on the bed. "Accident in training."_

"_Accident," she repeated as Seifer moved out of the room and to the medicine cabinet, reaching for some gauze. "More like getting into trouble again," she said as she shook her head, watching Seifer wet a cloth, cleaning the blood from around his face and new addition. _

_He turned to face the doctor who was watching him carefully. "Small quarrel."_

_She gave him a look of disappointment and snatched the damp cloth from his hand. "Your instructor's going to get an earful!" She called out as Seifer began to leave the infirmary. "And what about you?" At this, Seifer turned his head to glance at Dr. Kadowaki. _

"_Unlike Leonheart and most of the students here, I can take care of myself. I don't require attention from a slight wound." She stared after him in disbelief. Once he was out of sight, she shook her head and rinsed the bloody cloth, then headed to clean up the brunette. _

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So...what did you think?! Review so I know you liked it!! Otherwise...updating may not be an option for me. As I said...if you don't review, I'll assume you don't like the story and just stop working on it. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND THAT'S WHY YA GOTTA SHOW YOUR SUPPORT!!! Loves! 


	6. Confession

(pokes head around corner) (slowly comes out from behind corner and smiles nervously) Ha...I apologize so much that it took me this long to update! I've been trying to study for my high school exit exams and whatnot...I just haven't had the time to write! Eh...heh. Anyway! Here are some comments back to you all who left signed reviews!

**JadeAlmasy** - Thank you! I apologize this took me so long to update! So, for waiting, have a cookie! (hands you cookie)

And to the rest of you guys, thanks for reading and being patient! It was knowing you were waiting for me to update that kept me going! Enjoy after the disclaimer!

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Final Fantasy VIII or any characters related. ... Sadly

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**Chapter six: Confession**

Seifer groaned and held his head as he rolled onto his side. He opened his eyes and sighed, cursing slightly as he shifted back to lying on his back. He dropped his arm and let it hang off the side of his bed as he stared at the ceiling, recalling back to his dream. He cursed once more as he pulled himself into a sitting position and held his head, staring down at the blue bed sheet.

_If I have another one of those dreams, I'm going to lose it_, he thought to himself as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stared at the floor. Hanging his head, he sighed and, with a grunt, took to his feet and walked over to the dresser. Shaking his head as he grabbed clean clothes from the chest of drawers, he grunted. _Man. I feel like I was hit by a truck_, he thought, closing the top drawer as he put on a clean white shirt. After sliding on a pair of dark blue jeans, putting on his black boots, and slipping his gloves on, he grabbed his gunblade and walked out of the room.

He glanced down the hallways and raised a brow. Judging by the lack of sunlight, he figured it was still early morning. He glanced at the watch on his wrist and groaned. _Oh my god…it is WAY too early to be up._ He hit the back of his head onto the shut door. _It should be illegal to get up this early when there are no classes being held._ He cursed and hit his head harder against the door. He crouched down and hung his head. _Well…I'm already up and running…the Training Center should be completely empty at this point_. He nodded to his thoughts and stood up, popping his back, and trudging off to the Training Center.

When he reached his destination, he noticed an abandoned set of daggers and a chain lying by the entrance to the centre. He snorted, laughing at the thought of a pair of students screaming as they ran from a T-Rexaur. The metal doors began to creak and groan as they opened, admitting the blonde inside. He scuffed his shoe on the dirt before cracking his neck and stepping in.

He wandered around for a while, not finding any creature, not even a grat. After a half-an-hour and still no luck, his stopped where he stood, crossed his arms, and began tapping his foot, an annoyed expression playing with his facial features. He swore and flung his gunblade to his side in an exaggerated motion.

"Oh, come on!" He cried out. "It's not _that_ early!" He scratched his head. _Where the hell is everything? They never sleep, damn it!_ He swung his arm back and punched the rock wall behind him. _You get up at five in the morning, and not even the creatures are awake_, he groaned as he lolled his neck.

Hanging his head, he fixated his blade and trudged to the wooden planks, hoping to encounter something – even a grat would do at this point. He jerked his head to the side when he thought he heard the sound of rustling leaves. Griping the handle on his blade, he crept up to the bushes, extended his sword tip, and shifted a section of the branches away. It was then a creature flew out from the brush, knocking Seifer onto his butt as it swooped behind him.

He rolled to the side as he pulled himself back to his feet and ducked as the granaldo came in for a second swoop. He scratched his head with the tip of his gunblade as he stared at the flying creature, wondering how it managed to get into the Garden in the first place. His mouth hung open dumbfounded. Shrugging his shoulders and shaking his head, he came to the conclusion that this beast was the reason the Training Center had become so quiet. As the beast came down again trying to attack the blonde, he pulled down and brought up his weapon, cutting the granaldo on the abdomen as it flew over his head.

It let out a screech as it came back down for another attack, this time nicking Seifer's cheek. He cursed and glared up at the flying beast. "You asshole! I don't need this at five in the effing morning!" He shouted to it. In reply, he came back down – this time, however, Seifer ducked and the creature bashed head-first into the wall behind the bushes. It came flying back, hitting the ground and skidding a few feet from the blonde. He scoffed and walked up to the dazed creature. "You are the dumbest creature I've ever seen," he said as he lifted up his gunblade and severed its head.

It was barely able to release a slight scream. The body began to wiggle for a few moments before ceasing all movement and becoming still. He clicked his tongue and propped his gunblade on his shoulder, shaking his head and moving forward, now hoping to encounter something he could actually have a decent fight with – a T-Rexaur, for instance.

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There was loud bang on the opposite side of a mechanical door. The brunette groaned and turned onto his sighed, swearing at whoever was at the door. When another bang was followed by someone shouting at the other, they shoved a pillow over their head, trying to block out the noise.

Quistis gave an annoyed huff and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently outside the door. "Irvine! Zell! Get up! We have places we need to be!" She shouted at them.

As one of the guys stirred, they threw their legs over the edge of the bed and groggily took to their feet. Wobbling their way to the door, he swung it open, revealing a very annoyed Quistis glaring at him. She poked her head around the other blonde to see Irvine who still had a pillow shoved over his head. Looking back to Zell, she rolled her eyes.

"You two need to get up and move. We're due to leave for Galbadia Garden in an hour and you need to set an example for the students."

Zell smiled nervously and scratched his head. "Eh, no problem. I'll be ready."

She let out a whoosh of air and turned her attention back towards the passed out Irvine. Bringing her attention back to Zell, she raised a brow. "Make sure he gets up, too." She turned around and began walking away, but stopped and turned her head back to Zell to say one last thing. "Breakfast is being served in the café for the next thirty minutes. If you two want to eat before we go, I suggest you move with haste."

With that said she faced the front and walked down the hall and out of site. Zell shut the door and spun around, seeing that Irvine had moved too a sitting position. He rubbed his eyes before glancing up at Zell. "I heard her mention food."

Selphie yawned as she knocked on a student's door. When they answered and she made sure they were all up and running, she told them about breakfast before turning to leave. As she did her run of checking up on her students, she trudged back to the room she shared with Quistis and fell down on the bed once she entered. Shutting her eyes, she called to Quistis who was currently brushing her teeth.

"Isn't it kinda pointless to brush your teeth right before you go eat?" She asked, her voice somewhat muffled due to the covers.

The blonde shook her head. "If you brush your teeth before you eat—" she spit out the substance. "—then you can taste more of the food." She wiped her mouth with a towel. "Plus, I can't stand the feeling of my mouth being dirty right before I eat. Drives me crazy."

Selphie snorted. "OCB," she said and Quistis turned her head to face her, giving her a quizzical look. "Obsessive Compulsive Behavior," Selphie explained, feeling eyes being settled on her. "We all have them."

Quistis nodded in understanding before placing the towel on the sink countertop and walking to Selphie who opened an eye. "We heading down?"

"Yeah."

Selphie jumped up. "Good! 'Cause I'm starving!" With that said, she faced and walked out of the door, heading down into the café for breakfast.

When they reached the café, they saw that several of the students had already come down to eat and were in the middle of their own meals. Selphie spotted Zell sitting at a corner table and trotted after him before reaching the table and taking a seat. Quistis maneuvered through the people and upon reaching the table, she heard a crash from behind her. She turned to see a dropped glass of juice, the glass shattered everywhere. She watched as one of her students apologized and helped the waitress pick up the shards. She continued to the table and took her seat, bringing her attention to Zell and the absent Irvine.

She motioned to the empty seat. "Where's Irvine?" She asked, eyebrow raised.

Zell shrugged. "Pretty boy's checking his hair to make sure it's 'perfect'," he said with a scoff. This caused Selphie to snort down a laugh.

"Now _that_ sounds like Irvine!" Selphie busted out laughing. She was interrupted as Irvine walked up to the table.

"What you all gossiping about this early?" He asked with sleepy eyes as he rubbed the back of his head. Selphie tried to hold a laugh, but failed miserably and busted out laughing while Quistis waved her hand.

"Nothing. Just morning rituals."

Zell snickered. "That's for sure."

He shut up when Quistis gave him an accusing glare. Irvine, not seeming to care what the hidden messages were about, shook his head and sat down next to Selphie. Their waiter came around to get drinks and then returned, asking for orders. After they all ordered their breakfast, Quistis put her elbows on the table and held her hands. She glanced around at the group and looked to the students that crowded the café.

"Now, you all are aware about the situation with Galbadia Garden, correct?" They all gave her curious looks. She released a sigh and leaned back. "I thought as much." She took a sip of her coffee before explaining. "Ever since the war, Galbadia Garden's security has increased – even getting through the front doors is difficult. If they suspect anything strange or abnormal in our or the students behavior, they'll have us leave the Garden immediately, no exceptions." She watched as they all stared at her intently. "We have to maintain proper order among our groups, or this trip will be cut short. When we arrive at the Garden, each of us will take a group of students." She pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "The groups will be arranged by numbers one through four. These numbers were assigned to the students last night at nine o'clock. There are three-to-four people in a room and everyone in the room has a different number." She looked to the instructors. "Selphie-" the brunette perked up. "You're taking group number one." She nodded. "Zell, group number two. And Irvine will be taking group number three. As you can all assume, I'll be handling group four."

When she paused, Zell asked his own question. "What time should we be getting there and what time are we leaving the Garden?"

Quistis nodded her head. "We'll be arriving at Galbadia Garden at nine and leaving at two-thirty. Each of our groups will be attending one of the classes at the Garden to see what other instructors at different Gardens are like. When we leave, we'll all meet back in the main hall of the Garden."

"Isn't that where we fought Cerberus last year?" Zell asked, scratching his head. Quistis shook her head.

She continued the instructions once she was sure no one else was going to ask another question. "After we leave the Garden, we'll come back here, distribute maps to all the students, and allow them to explore Deling City at their leisure."

She watched as everyone nodded in comprehension. They finished their breakfasts before taking to their feet and exiting the café, heading back to their rooms to grab anything they would need for the day. As they walked back into the hotel lobby, students clamored about the lobby, talking excitedly about the trip they were about to pursue. Quistis looked to Irvine and gave the notion for him to get the students in order and onto the buses that awaited them outside the hotel.

Irvine stepped onto the brick wall that surrounded exotic plants at the hotel's entrance. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly enough to grab the attention of all the students. They turned their heads toward him, waiting for him to speak.

"All right, everyone! Listen up!" He shouted, making sure he had everyone's attention. When he was sure that they were all listening, he continued. "Now, I know you're all excited to get going and see Galbadia Garden, correct?" They all replied with whoops and yeses. "Well, a few rules before we can let you step foot out of this hotel." There were a few groans, but most just listened intently. "When we arrive at the Garden, we need you all to cooperate, no fooling around, and no joking about any occurrences that happened last year during the war. Galbadia's a lot more strict then we are back at Balamb and things like that can get you expelled from the Garden for good. We need you all to follow the given instructions by myself, Quistis Treppe, Selphie Timlitt, or Zell Dincht. Any messing around and we, personally, will take you from the Garden and you can sit on the bus for the rest of the trip." He looked around at all the students' faces. "Do I make myself clear?" There was a roar of 'yes' and 'yes sirs' among the group.

He nodded. "All right, then." He jumped down from the brick wall and walked to the doors. "Now let's get going before we're denied access for being late!"

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Seifer wiped his forehead and propped his gunblade on his shoulder. A T-Rexaur lie on the soil, slashes across it's torso and one large gash on it's throat. As the blood from the carcass dripped out, Seifer nudged it with the tip of his weapon. He smirked and shrugged, sheathing his blade and walking to the large iron doors to exit the Training Center. They rumbled as they began open, the feeling given off that the entire Training Center was vibrating. Once he was on the opposite side, they shut themselves and he began to leave. He treaded along the hallway and held his stomach as he heard it growl. He bit down on his tongue.

_That's right. I haven't eaten breakfast yet._ Shrugging, he kept walking until he was at the end of the slope that led up to the center. _Suppose I should…_ His thoughts trailed off as he released a sigh and began walking towards the cafeteria.

Upon entering, there were only a three people in the cafeteria: two girls that sat at one of the middles tables giggling about god only knew what, and the Commander. A half-eaten bagel sat to his left on a plastic tray with a full glass of orange juice and on his right, paperwork was sprawled out. With his pencil in his right hand, his left elbow was on the table and his hand held his head. His eyes were half-closed suggesting that, once again, he was unable to have a fit night's sleep.

Seifer watched as the two girls glanced up at Squall before turning back to each other in fits of giggles. Seifer rolled his eyes at their actions and walked up to the cafeteria lady. She glanced up at him from cleaning the counter and stopped wiping.

"And what would you like this morning?" She asked, her voice soft, almost like that of a lullaby.

"Just an egg on toast."

She nodded and turned around, abandoning her cleaning cloth to prepare his breakfast. She came back and smiled at him softly. "It'll be a few minutes. If you'd just like to wait."

"Thanks."

As the woman turned back to continue, Seifer continued to stare at the Commander, his thoughts tracing back to last night. His eyes drifted up Squall's arm and onto two black bands around his wrists. He sighed as a sudden pang in his chest caused him to flinch. He leaned up against the soda machine next to the counter and crossed his arms, looking at Squall, but not paying much attention. He kept thinking about the expression on Squall's face before he took of running from the Training Center. The blonde began to chew his bottom lip as he thought about it.

_I – I've never seen that expression…at least on his face_. He cursed on his breath as he kicked the machine with the bottom of his foot. _What the hell's wrong with me? To make him freak out like that?_

He was jerked from his thoughts as the cafeteria lady called him over for his food. He walked up to the counter, thanked the woman, and took his food. He watched as one of the girls pointed to Squall while he yawned. They both turned back towards each other and awed in a high-pitched voice before having another fit of giggles. Seifer walked to the table that the brunette sat at.

"You have admirers," he said as he motioned towards the two girls.

Squall glanced up and over at the two females before giving a slight nod and turning back to his work. Seifer continued. "Mind if I join you?" He watched Squall shrug his shoulders before shaking his head and taking a seat, setting his plate in front of him. Seifer took a bite of his egg sandwich before motioning to the paperwork in front of the brunette. "What are you working on this time?" He asked as he swallowed the piece of food.

Squall moved his lips as he spoke in a monotone voice, "Liability papers."

Seifer nodded. "For the trip I presume?" Squall nodded slightly. Seifer released a sigh and put down his sandwich, leaning forward, closer to the Commander. "Squall…about last night—"

"Forget it," Squall said as he scribbled down some writing and flipped over the paper.

Sighing once more, Seifer glanced up to see the two girls scoot back their chairs and stand, picking up their trays. The looked over at Squall before laughing, dumping their trays, and leaving the cafeteria, all the time in high pitched squeals. The blonde turned his attention back towards Squall, seeing that the Commander had not even glanced up from his paperwork.

"Listen, I'm sorry about what happened last night. I don't know why I overreacted so badly and—"

"I said don't worry about it," Squall interrupted, eyes never leaving the paper. Seifer clenched his jaw.

"Leonheart, I'm trying to apologize to you. Would you stop looking at that damn sheet of paper for a minute?" He said in an annoyed tone. Squall glanced up at the blonde, but refused to look him in the eyes. "Thank you." Squall averted his eyes off to the side. "I shouldn't have been like that and I truly am sorry." He paused, but when Squall failed to acknowledge the apology, Seifer shook his head. "Can't you say something?!"

"Like what?" Squall asked, his eyes now staring at the napkin holder on the table.

"I don't know," Seifer huffed as he fell back in the seat. "Acknowledging that I'm talking to you would be a nice start," he muttered. He sat straight. "I mean, say something! Get annoyed! Get agitated! Get angry! Holding all that in is unhealthy, you know!"

Squall jerked his head towards Seifer. "What do you want me to do?!" He suddenly cried out, shocking Seifer and making him pull back. "You say 'get angry', 'get annoyed'! Well, doing that, where does it put me, huh?!"

Seifer worked his jaw before speaking. "Uh, with everyone else, maybe?" He spoke in a sarcastic tone. "With society? You shouldn't keep yourself locked up all the time!"

Squall scoffed and dropped his pen, beginning to stack up the papers. He shut the folder they were all contained in before taking to his feet, standing and looking at Seifer. "So you're saying I should express myself more and do what you do? No thanks!" He turned on his heel and walked out of the cafeteria.

Seifer groaned and jumped to his feet, running after Squall. As he ran around to the front, he saw the elevator doors shut and begin to head up. _Crap!_ He jerked his head around and ran up the stairs, then turned to his left and followed the set of stairs up to the second floor. He pressed the button for the elevator the moment he reached the floor. It dinged and the doors slid open, revealing the Commander, his face slightly tinged and gripping the folders for life.

Squall moved to press the button to shut the doors, but failed as Seifer moved his arm to block the doors from sliding shut. He shifted and moved passed Seifer, out into the hallway, his feet moving hastily. Seifer ran after him.

"Leonheart! What did you mean by 'what I do'?" He asked. When Squall didn't reply, he reached out and gripped the arm of Squall's shirt. He jerked his arm, making Seifer release the cloth.

"Nothing! Just go away!" He began walking faster.

Seifer growled. "I'm not leaving you alone that easily, Leonheart! You better turn around and tell me!"

"I said it was nothing!"

"Bullshit!" Seifer growled as he reached back out his hand to grab Squall's shirt. "Tell me, damn it!"

Just as his fingers nicked Squall's shirt, the Commander spun around, dropping the folders. He approached Seifer, eyes bloodshot, face still tinged. "You want me to tell you?!" He shouted. Seifer began backing up. "Tell you what you do when you get angry?!" He began tugging at his wristbands. "Why the hell do that when I can just show you?!" He yelled as he tore off his wristbands unveiling black, blue, and purple bruises of handprints. Seifer jerked back at the sight, the prints clear as day. "Are you saying this is how I should express myself?!" The blonde's eyes widened as he continued to stare at the prints around Squall's wrists. "Well, screw you, Almasy! I'd rather die than do what you do to people!" Tears began to wheal up in the brunette's eyes. "If this is how you want to express _your _feelings, then keep them away from me!!"

His chest vibrated up and down as he inhaled and exhaled in short breaths. He jerked his head to face the floor, his hair covering his blue-grey eyes. They stood in silence, except for Squall's exasperated breaths. After what seemed like several minutes, Seifer bent down and picked up the wristbands that had been discarded. He grabbed Squall's arm. It was only natural that Squall tried to pull away, but with a small squeeze, he stayed, seeming to be out of energy. Seifer slid the band back around Squall's wrist and then repeated the process to the other wrist. After that, he bent back down and picked up the fallen folders. He handed them to Squall, and slowly and shakily, Squall took them, eyes never trailing up from the floor.

Seifer put his hand on Squall's shoulder. "Whether or not you want to believe me, I truly am sorry…" He turned around and walked away, turning the corner.

It wasn't until after Squall heard the elevator doors slid open and shut that his shifted. He motioned his mouth, trying to speak.

"Why…? Why can't you just go away?" He whispered to the empty hallway.

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So...what did you all think? Another chapter down. Ha ha. You see, I know where I want to go with this fanfic, it's just putting it on paper...or computer...that's the hard part. Lol!! It took me a while to do this chapter because I had a major case of writer's block. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will come back for the next!! Remember that I leave comments for signed reviews!! No review, no update!! Lol!! Maybe...ha ha.

Loves!!


	7. Intrude

**cloudstrifejen**You know…sometimes I wonder that, too…Ha ha! Kidding! Kidding! Or maybe I'm not. (mischievous grin) Thank you, however! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed the last!!

**SilverWhiteDragon**: Well, it's a "confession" (and I quote) because you got to delve into Squall's mind…or at least see some of the anger and frustration he has towards Seifer. Completely disregarding the fact that I might have forgotten to change the title before I posted! Ha ha. (nervous laughter)

**rikuprincess**: Awe!! Thank you! I tried to get this updated as soon as I could, but with school and studying for the WEEs (our senior exit exams) I just didn't have much time to work on it! I'm sorry! I promise the next one won't take as long to update! (gives you a cookies)

**Faith1**: Ha. Well, since you reviewed/read, I did update this pretty quickly! …I think. Heh. Anyway! Maybe this chapter has something of what you're expecting…or maybe not! I'm not gonna spoil it for you!

**Love Psycho**: Your review block plus my writers block does not bode well! Eh? Anyway! (jacks cupcake) SWEET! Cupcakes! (happily munches on cupcake like Usagi/Sailor Moon) Yay! (looks at Sprite and then back to you) Got milk:D Ha ha. Anyway! Thanks for the review!!

**To my readers**: I'm sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. It's been hellish, what with studying for the WEEs and whatnot. (P.S: WEEs are our high school's senior exit exams.) That and this project for Advanced Bio, ugh. But I promise that the next chapter won't take as long! At least I hope. Once again! My apologies and enjoy after the disclaimer. Thank you!

_**Disclaimer**_: Nope! They still won't sell me the characters!!

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**Chapter seven: Intrude**

Quistis nodded and walked into the main hall of Galbadia Garden, students and the other three instructors following. Everyone stopped in the middle of the room and the vast majority of the students looked around in awe at the expanse of the Garden. Since most had never been outside of Balamb, they could only gape at the massive size of the inner hall. A few students commented that the hall itself was larger than Balamb Garden as a whole.

An attendee was there in the center of the hall to meet them. She bowed as Quistis approached her, Selphie and the others waiting back with the students. She returned the motion and as she stood straight, the attendee spoke.

"The Headmaster asked that you meet him in his office; if you would like to follow me," she said and Quistis nodded. Before following the female attendant, Quistis turned towards the other instructors and gave them the notion to wait. They understood and the female turned and followed the attendant to the headmaster's office.

They traced up the stairs to the right in the center corridor, arriving at a locked door. The attendee punched in the pass code and the door slid open, allowing them both to enter. She motioned towards the couches and as Quistis walked completely in, she bowed out. "He'll be with you in a moment." Quistis nodded as the other female left the room.

Quistis looked around. The room had not much changed since the last time they had been in the room – when they went to speak with Headmaster about the sorceress last year. The couch and chairs still sat in the middle of the room with a clear coffee table between them, the windows were letting in the vast majority of light – which had Quistis wondering why the lamp in the corner of the room was even on.

As she continued to look around, the headmaster of the school walked into the room. She immediately went into a bow.

"Sir," she said as she stood straight.

"Ms. Treppe, it's been a while since the last time we had spoken," Martine said, walking up to the female instructor.

"So it has."

"Balamb Garden still the same as it was last year?"

Quistis nodded slightly as Martine walked around the couches and to the window. "It's calmed down since then," she spoke as she watched him walk. "Now that the war's over, everyone's settled back in, classes have resumed, and the students seem not to mind."

Martine nodded absentmindedly as he placed his left hand on the windowsill. He brought his attention back to Quistis, an eyebrow raised, suddenly looking quite curious. "I hear Cid retired." He was confirmed with a nod from the blonde. He turned his head to stare at a section of the couch. "I see. He was a good man."

"That he was, sir," she replied, wondering why the headmaster was making small talk when she had students waiting in the main hall.

He focused his attention back to the instructor. "Best headmaster Balamb ever had or could ever have, if you ask me." Quistis sighed and forced a smile, shaking her head, as if agreeing. "It's a shame he retired. I bet your Garden isn't the same without him, eh?" He chuckled and began to walk to the coffee table where a setup of gins and tonics lay. "Why was it he retired, anyway?" He asked Quistis as he began to fix himself a drink.

"I believe it had to do with having some extra time," she said, crossing her arms, not seeing why this had relevance to them being at the Garden.

Martine nodded, dropping ice cubes into his drink. "Ah, that's unlike Cid, I must say – would you like a drink?"

"No thank you."

"Well, whoever his replacement can't be as good as he was. Top notch of his age, wasn't he?" He took a sip of the drink. "I just hope your Garden manages fine without him around—"

"Squall is an excellent headmaster, sir. Cid would not have put someone in charge that he could not trust the Garden to," Quistis interrupted him, seeming slightly agitated.

"Oh, I'm not saying that Cid would, I'm only saying that – wait. Squall…" He seemed to try jogging his memory, the name seeming familiar to him. His eyes lit up, remembering the name. "Ah, that young boy from last year?" Quistis nodded. "He was the leader of his squadron last year, correct? In the attempt to take down the Sorceress?"

"Yes sir. Cid asked him to take over his place as Headmaster last year – and so Squall accepted. He was able to reorganize the Garden during and after the war to prevent complete chaos among the students and other SeeD cadets."

Martine's eyebrows rose. "I see." His expression changed and he laughed. "Well, then! Odds are you're not here for small talk," he said, chuckling slightly as he took another sip of his drink before setting it down on the table. "I've checked with the instructors, telling them about your arrival and whether or not extra students will be joining their classes; all has been cleared and everything's set up. I only ask a few things." He paused here, becoming very serious as he eyed Quistis. She seemed not phased in the slightest, her attention still focused. "Be sure to alert the instructors of the classes that you will be attending before the class starts and – for the main part – if there are any mishaps whatsoever from any of your students or instructors, I warn you that you will be immediately reported to the exit."

Quistis gave a quid motion with her head. "We – the instructors and students – understand the position. We have explained this to our students and we can promise you that everything will be in order."

Martine shook his head. "I'm glad to see that we're on the same page here, then." His expression changed once more, his previous expression coming back. "Well, in that case, I better let you get back to your students before they stir a riot wanting their instructor back, eh?" He laughed, motioning to the door. Quistis followed him to the closed door and as it slid open, he turned to face the blonde. "Good luck, instructor Treppe."

She nodded, gave her thanks, and left the room, the door sliding shut behind her. She sighed and headed down the stairs, into the corridor, and out into the main hall where the others and students waited. They had all begun chatting hastily, laughing about Hyne only knew. As Quistis approached the others, Selphie was the first to see her and when she stopped in front of them, Zell let a quirky grin cover his face.

"So how'd it go? We set?" She nodded. "Sweet!"

"So when do we get to split up?" Selphie asked as she did a skip-step towards the blonde.

"Here in a minute." She walked to the center of the hall and whistled, getting the students attention. They all focused their attention to her, instantly quieting down. She waited until every student had gone quiet before she spoke. She cleared her throat. "Thank you," she spoke, mentioning the fact that the students went quiet for her to speak. She looked around the group of students. "Now, does everyone here remember the numbers that were assigned to them last night?" She watched as most students nodded and others said 'yes ma'am.' "Good. Listen closely to receive instruction on which instructor you'll be with regarding those numbers. Everyone who received a number one—" she watched as some students perked up. "You are group number one and you will be going with Selphie Timlitt." She motioned toward Selphie who waved to the students whose eyes were on her. Quistis continued. "Group number two, you will be with Zell Dincht—" He held up a peace sign as students glanced over to him. "Group three will head out with Irvine Kinneas," she said as she pointed to Irvine, before rolling her eyes when he pointed to himself and grinned. "And as for group four, you'll be with me. Now, if everyone would get with their appropriate groups, we can separate and have a tour of the Garden."

Talking erupted as the students began to split into their separate groups. They waved to other friends when they had been put in opposite groups just before everyone began to walk in different directions.

------------------

Seifer sighed and let his head hit the wall with a thud. He had just exited the Training Center, and even fighting could not take his mind off of earlier events. He banged his head on the wall several more times before just letting it rest.

_Damn it_, he cursed. _How the hell am I gonna get Leonheart to open up now? _

"Shit!" He hit the wall with his fist.

The expression of Squall's face flashed back into his mind. He let his expression calm, his green eyes staring at the space on the wall.

"_I'm sorry – I won't – I promise—_"

Seifer shook his head and pulled back on the wall. He stared blankly at the wall, face twisted into a look of confusion. The echo inside his head continued and he shook his head again. _Squall's voice? Déjà vu_? He bit his bottom lip and moved his head to look off to the side, fist still on the wall. He took his head down, and put his index and middle fingers on his head_. Hyne, I'm losing it!_

He brought his attention to two people who began walking to the Training Center – one male; one female. He caught a piece of their conversation before they walked out of sight.

"Don't worry! You'll be fine," the male said as he faced her and grinned. "If anything goes wrong, I'll be there to protect you!" He slung his arm around her shoulder. She grabbed the cuff of his sleeve and removed his arm.

"Oh, yes," she replied as she rolled her eyes. "_You'll_ protect _me_? Correction there, buddy," she patted him on the shoulder. "I'll be making sure you don't get your arse handed to you." He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. She stuck out her tongue as she continued. "You forget; who's the one who kicked your arse the other week during class?"

He sighed and muttered, "You did."

She nodded. "Right. And who's the one who currently has a ten in class?"

He sighed again. "You do."

"Exactly," she said, nodding again.

Seifer watched as the two disappeared from sight, recognizing that both of them were from his class. He thought about whether or not to hang around and see if either one came running from the Training Center, screaming about a T-Rexaur, but decided against it and turned on his heel, heading to his dorm to change clothes.

As he walked down the hall with his hands shoved in his pockets, he wondered where the rest of the students were that were not going on the field trip. More than likely, the majority had gone into town looking for something to do while the rest hung back to work on assignments. He walked up the slope to the dormitories and under the overhang before splitting to his left for his own dorm room. He input the combination to open his room and the door slid open; he walked in, the door sliding shut.

Giving it some thought, he decided to go ahead and take the initiative to the showers, figuring it would be best to take it in the early evening rather than get up early in the morning. He grabbed a clean white shirt out of the top dresser drawer as well as a pair of clean boxers. He grabbed a towel from the top of his dresser and headed to the restroom down the hall after making sure his dorm room was locked. He slung the towel over his shoulder.

As he arrived at the restroom, he turned the handle and walked in. His eyes widened at the sight he walked in on, the towel falling from his shoulder, clothes hitting the tiled floor as they slipped from his hands. He jerked his hand up and placed it across his eyes.

"Ah, shit! Sorry!"

Squall stood in front of the mirror, hands stopped through his wet hair, and a towel wrapped lightly around his waist. His eyes shot open and his face went red. Seifer bent down and groped around for his fallen items, all the while saying 'damn it' and 'sorry.' Seifer brought down his hand as he stood and gave a lopsided grin. The brunette crossed his arms in an inconspicuous way to hide his torso.

"Would it kill you to knock?" Squall asked in an agitated voice, trying to keep the burning in his cheeks down.

Seifer's nervous grin dropped and he scoffed. "How about locking the door?" He retorted, sneering. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about this problem."

Squall rolled his eyes. "That wouldn't be so difficult if the lock wasn't broken." He gave Seifer a stern look as the blonde continued to stand in the doorway.

"So fix it. Wow. That's a tough thing to figure out." His eyes trailed to where Squall had his arms across his chest; chill bumps had begun to form on his arms.

"Yeah, if someone hadn't literally stolen the lock." Squall continued to stare at Seifer, bluish gray eyes piercing through him.

Seifer's eyes trailed up his neckline.

"Stole it, huh?"

And across his shoulders and down his abdomen.

"Yeah…" Squall replied, now giving Seifer a curious, but still agitated, stare.

Unconsciously, Seifer let his eyes drift lower and lower until they stopped at the white towel that was limped slightly around his waist. He paused for a moment, eyes not even blinking and Squall shifted uncomfortably, face reddening even more. He swallowed. "What?" He asked in a nervous tone. Seeming to come back to reality, Seifer blinked a few times and shook his head, focusing his attention back on Squall's eyes, shooting him another glare.

He put his hand on his hip. "Since when do you take your shower in the evening? You're more of a morning person anyway."

Squall shrugged and averted his eyes off to the side of Seifer's head, staring at the paint on the wall. "I – I don't know…" he trailed off.

_Why's he suddenly stuttering?_ The question randomly popped into Seifer's head. He crossed his arms and raised a brow as he started at Squall, waiting for him to continue.

"When I uh," he stared down at the tile by his feet. "I mean, you were…" he paused and brought his attention back to Seifer who was still giving him an annoyed look. He tensed and cleared his throat. "I didn't want to chance walking in on anyone again. Since everyone seems so intent on taking theirs in the morning."

Seifer covered a laugh by coughing. "Oh-ho!" He cried out as he bent his torso slightly. He smirked. "You're referring to when you walked in on me." He snickered as he watched Squall's expression change, his shoulders hunched up a bit and he shrunk back. "Hm, I thought as much." He shrugged. "Didn't think you'd change your schedule because of one incident." He laughed and shook his head. "Well, then, I'll leave you to finish primping yourself." At this, Squall huffed, furrowing his eyebrows. He turned and grabbed the handle, ready to leave, but not before turning his head to say one last thing. "Hurry it up, though, would ya? I don't feel like waiting thirty minutes to take a shower because you feel the need to primp yourself like some drag queen." He shut the door the moment he finished his sentence, which was a good thing he did, whereas something large made contact with the door as Squall tried to throw something at him.

Seifer sighed and began walking back towards his dorm. He stared at the floor in front of him as he walked, mind wandering elsewhere. _What the hell was that? Did I just eye Squall?_ He asked himself, putting emphasis on Squall's name. "What the hell's wrong with me?!" He cried out as he hit his head on the door to his room._ Ugh…ew. That's a sick thought._ He punched the wall before standing straight and inputting his combination. "You better not take forever to get the hell out of the damn bathroom, Leonheart," he muttered to himself as he walked into his dorm, the door sliding shut.

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And…the end result? Ha. I know, this chapter probably wasn't what you all were expecting. But cut me some slack! Exit exams, people! Exit exams! Ha ha. Anyway. Once again! Please review! I reply back to all _signed reviews_!! Laters! 


	8. TakeOUT

Ahhhh...I'm back! Sorry it took so long for me to get this up! I had my first semester exit exams and they were putting me through Hell and back. I didn't have ANY time to work on this at all. It's taken my a few days, but here the eighth chapter is! (:D) Plus, Koda Kumi's new album "Kingdom" was released today! (is all happy) But I don't get my copy until February fifth! I preordered it on YesAsia over two months ago and have been impatiently waiting ever since. Anyway...

Now, I'll comment back to you all! Even those who left anonymous reviews! I'm feeling generous today!

**SilverWhiteDragon:** Haaa. I thought it was funny. O.o Heh. Sorry this chapter took so much longer! It's been over two months! (Ironically, I updated this the day I preorderd Kuu's Kingdom album. What are the odds?)

**Quistis Trepe05**: Hm...This chapter took so long. Not because of writer's block, but because I had no just time to work on it. Sorry to keep you waiting. Hope you enjoy!!

**Gold Silk:** Awe! Why thank you! And don't worry! I'm used to stalkers! (looks outside window and sees everal people already camped out) You be surprised the type of people you get stalking you when they want updates. (calls out window) It's updated, folks!! (watches crowd disperse quickly) Hm...so much for reliability.

**Black Night Luster:** You again!! Ha ha. Well...so I didn't get this chapter up by Christmas...WHAT OF IT?! (laughs) Kidding!! Hope to see ya soon...hear from you soon. Yeah. The latter one! Oh yeah...On the Road should be updated fairly soon, btw. If you're reading this! Which I hope you are!!

**shakircross:** O.o This fast enough? (:D) Your timing rocks, ya know.

**To my readers:** The first semester WEE's are over!! And since I have double lockout this semester, that means I'll only have my last two exit exams from high school. Also meaning that I'll get to update this more frequently! Oddly enough, when I work on this story, I put my "On the Road" fic on hold and vice versa. It's a never ending cycle, ya know? Enjoy after the disclaimer!!

**_Disclaimer:_** Squaresoft...don't own it. Final Fantasy VIII...don't own that, either. Damn it! **_

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**_Chapter eight: TakeOUT_**

Selphie groaned as her and the group got onto the train bound for Deling. As the students headed into the carts to sit and wait for time to pass, the instructors stood intently near to exit. Their trip to Galbadia Garden did not last nearly as long as originally intended – something triggered the Garden to into lockdown. When the incident took place, all students and attendees were escorted to the main hall, all curious as to what was happening around them. The entire incident had Irvine looking rather serious, not even willing to make any of his usual cracks. He recalled how there was only one time the Garden had ever gone into lockdown mode and that was when the war had first started. Whatever triggered the action was enough cause for the Balamb students to be sent back to Deling City immediately.

Easily enough said, the students were in quite a state; some frightened and others thinking it had been a prank pulled by one of the Galbadian students to frame Balamb. Though things had calmed down, the rivalry between Gardens never faded. Martine had tried to get everyone to calm down as the Garden was searched for intruders or anything out of the norm – in the meantime, he escorted the Balamb students and their instructors out of the Garden and directed them towards the train station. Quistis bowed as they had left, apologizing for the uproar, though even she had not the slightest clue what had caused it.

Nevertheless, halfway back to Deling and the students had quieted down, most now playing Triple Triad or gossiping with friends. Irvine had not spoken a work since they had gotten on the train and Selphie was worried about him. She had never seen him in such a state; it was confusing to her. She tried several times to get him to say what was on his mind, but each and every time she had been ignored. Finally, after the eighth or ninth try, she gave up and hung her head in defeat, shuffling over to Quistis and Zell who were chatting about the cause of the lockdown.

"He still won't say what's wrong," she muttered as she scuffed her boots on the floor.

"I wouldn't expect him to," Quistis replied as she adverted her gaze to Irvine, who was leaning against the window with his eyes closed. Selphie and Zell, both, gave her a queried look. "Galbadia's his home, you forget? And if you two didn't realize, we were kicked out of the Garden – banded, more like." They both nodded in understanding. "Think of it, Selphie. How would you feel if Trabia Garden kicked you out and didn't allow you back in? And Zell, what if Squall up and decided to have you removed from Balamb for good?"

There was a long silence.

"I'd feel betrayed and hurt," Selphie spoke out, sounding slightly depressed.

"Exactly. So you can't blame Irvine for how he's acting. Let him be for a while and let him wander in his thoughts. He'll come around eventually. After all, I'm sure we're not permanently banded."

The other two only nodded. After a few moments of awkward silence, Selphie wandered off to a table of students, two of which were arguing over a move made in Triple Triad. One student was being accused of cheating by making up a rule while they retaliated by saying that it was part of Galbadia's Rules. Selphie decided to intervene before there was an all out war between the students. She looked at the accused and asked him what he was being accused of.

"When we were at Galbadia, a few of us were playing with a group of Galbadia students and they taught us about the PLUS rule." They adverted their eyes to their opponent. "It's not cheating!"

"It is when you didn't tell me that you were going to use Galbadia's rules!"

Selphie nodded at the statement and turned to face the other. "He has a point, you know. Had you have told him you were going to be using Galbadia's rules, then it would be fine; but since you didn't, you should go ahead and reverse your move." She turned her gaze to the opposite person. "Is that all right? Are you still willing to play?" They crossed their arms and sat back in the bench, muttering a 'fine.' Selphie jumped up and waved her hand in the air. "Cool! And I'm going to play the winner of the next game!"

Quistis chuckled at Selphie's action as Zell scratched the back his head. After watching Selphie bounce up and down for a bit, Quistis turned her head and crossed her arms, putting her hand to her face. Seeing the blonde female lost in thought, Zell adverted his attention towards her and gave her a curious look.

"Something on your mind?" he asked.

Without taking her gaze off a smudge on the wall, she replied.

"I'm worried."

"About what?" He cocked his head to the side, trying to understand her spoken words a little better.

"Galbadia…and Balamb." She looked up to stare at Zell. "Something caused their school to go into lockdown; now, whether it was a prank or not, if something happened to Galbadia Garden, then odds are, all ties may be cut off with Balamb…especially if one of our students caused it." She placed a hand on her hip. "We'd lose an ally. Not to mention all the pressure put on Squall."

Zell sighed and shook his head before bringing up his hand to rub the back of his neck. "I don't think it was one of our students. We had them well monitored throughout the entire trip. And I highly doubt anything serious is going on in that Garden." He waved his arms off to the side. "It was probably some Galbadian student who thought it would be funny."

Quistis looked back to Selphie who had just sat down at the bench to face off against the winner. "I hope so. We can't afford anything serious at this point."

Zell only nodded.

---------------------

Seifer stretched as he stepped out of the restroom, other clothes tucked under his arm. He walked back down the hall and to his room, punching in the combination and door sliding open. It shut once he was inside and he tossed the clothes in a corner. He glanced at the clock sitting next to his bed: eighty thirty-two.

It was still early.

He sighed and looked at his gunblade. Deciding against training, whereas he had just showered, he turned on his heel and left the room. He stood outside the door for a moment, trying to think of something to do to pass time. Going into town was a good option, but he was not dead set for having to fuel up a vehicle and then pay the overpriced amount Balamb usually charged. Walking was another option, not one he was keen about doing, either. In addition, he did not want to go alone to the town. Having someone – anyone – to talk to would have been a nice gesture.

Now if only there was someone who would not mind heading into town for the evening. He figured that where the few students that decided to stay at the Garden had gone – maybe to stay home for the weekend. Others, more than likely, were in the library or the Training Centre, trying to pass the time as he was wanting to do. He scratched the back of his head and kicked his boots on the floor before turning and heading to the main hall. On the way, he passed by a female that was running to the library, complaining about being late for something. Just as he had reached the outer boundaries of the library, he saw the female and one of her friends both running from the area back towards the dorms, books in hand.

He traced along the corridors until he reached the main hall – just like the majority of the Garden, it, too, was empty. The only noise was that of the running fountains. Groaning, he kicked the wall that surrounded the water.

_Damn it! There is nothing to do around here when classes aren't going on! _

He groaned once more before decided that maybe heading into town on foot would not be so bad after all. He passed the gatekeeper who commented as he walked by.

"You're about the sixth person who's walked by today and the second to walk by this evening," he said, not really talking to Seifer in particular, only commenting to himself. "Everyone's going into town. 'Cept me. Oh, no. I'm stuck here until my shift ends."

Seifer only gave him a nervous smile as he rubbed the back of his head and exited one of the gates. He held up his hand as he began walking away. "Have a good night!"

"Yeah, yeah. Easy for you to say," the guy muttered as he nodded.

The gatekeeper continued to mutter things to himself until Seifer was out of earshot. Seifer sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed toward the main gate. After walking down the outside staircase, and coming upon the currently vacant courtyard, he spotted someone lying down on one of the benches. They had one knee bent while the other laid flat. Their left arm was behind their head as the other was draped across their stomach, eyes staring up at the starlit sky.

Wondering who would just be lying outside at this hour, Seifer's curiosity got the best of him and he walked over to the bench, seeing the Commander, no less. Not seeming to have noticed someone had even walked up to him, Squall continued staring at the sky, lost in thought.

"Hey," Seifer said as he brought up his leg and lightly kneed Squall in the side. Jerked out of thought, Squall flinched slightly before shaking his head and turning to look at the blonde. "What are you doing out here?" He turned back to stare at the sky.

"Nothing."

The blonde scoffed. "Well that's obvious." He kneed him lightly in the side again. The brunette jerked his head to look at Seifer, giving him a slight glare for disturbing him. "Random thought. Want to head into town and go grab a bite to eat…or something?"

Squall turned away from him, eyes staring back up. "Not in particular, no."

Seifer kneed him again. "Why not? It's better than sitting around here doing nothing all evening."

Squall grunted, obviously becoming annoyed at Seifer nudging him in the side with every statement. However, his tone showed no evidence of how he felt. "I like doing nothing. Besides, I'm not hungry."

Seifer frowned. "Bullshit." The Commander looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "You saying you're not hungry is like Zell saying he hates hotdogs. So come on. Go grab a bite to eat. Hyne knows you need to."

Squall knitted his eyebrows together. "I'm fine. Thanks for the offer."

Seifer tapped his foot before nudging Squall in the side again. At this, Squall sat up and jerked his head to look at his rival. "Would you stop that?"

He grinned, knowing he was getting on the Commander's last nerve. He leaned down and came within centimeters of Squall's face, gray eyes meeting green. "Then go with me or I'll keep annoying you until you do anyway." Squall's face shot red and an agitated look washed over him. At this, Seifer smirked even more. "I'll freaking carry you out of here if that's what it takes to get you to move."

There was a short pause from the brunette before he turned over onto his side, facing away from the blonde. "Get out of my face. Your breath stinks." He shifted.

Seifer sighed and shook his head. "Have it your way, then."

He grabbed Squall's arm and pulled him into a sitting position. "Hey! What are you doing?!" he cried out as the blonde pulled his upper body over his shoulder.

"I told you I'd carry you out if you didn't just come peacefully."

He took his other arm and with one swift push, had Squall slung over his left shoulder like a backpack. The brunette struggled to get out of the hold and he began pounding on Seifer's back as the blonde just began walked towards the main gate. "Hey! Put me down!" He tried to push himself up. "Put – me – down! Damn it, Seifer! This isn't funny!"

Seifer only laughed at the brunette's futile attempts to get out of his hold. He began whistling as Squall continued to shout at him and pound on his back, trying anything and everything to get Seifer to release him. He continued to walk to the front gate, ignoring the angered cries he was receiving from his opponent. Even as they left the boundaries of the Garden, Squall continued to fight.

Halfway to town, Squall had finally given up. He had his hand under his chin, supporting his head as he other arm only laid lifeless, swinging slightly with the constant up and down motion of Seifer's movements. The road to town was rather dark at this time of night and echoes of crickets and creatures roaming around could be heard from every direction. After a few more minutes of silence, Squall finally turned his head.

"Can you put me down now?" he asked, voice filled with aggravation.

Seifer only laughed. "That depends. Are you going to take off back towards the Garden the moment I do?"

Squall scoffed. "Why bother? I'm already out here," he muttered, turning back to face the area behind them. Seifer nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. He stopped and brought Squall back to his feet. The moment Squall's boots made contact with the concrete, he turned away from the blonde and began walking hastily towards town. Seifer laughed and went to catch up with him. When he did, he threw his hands behind his head and spoke to the young Commander.

"You know, things would have gone a hell of a lot smoother had you have just cooperated and gone with me in the first place."

Squall did not reply, only kept his attention focused in front of him. Seifer did not press the matter further, figuring to let the brunette just calm down instead of venting on him. After what seemed like forever, he finally spoke up.

"Well, if you weren't such a controlling bastard, this wouldn't have happened."

At this, Seifer stopped walking and brought his arms down, staring accusingly at the brunette as he continued to walk. He let out a grunt from the pit of his throat and glanced off to the side before shaking his head and going to catch back up. The rest of the trip was made in silence, Squall too infuriated to say anything and Seifer not willing to make the Commander angrier still. After the way things had gone between them the past few days, and the tension not subduing any, he began to think that maybe this had not been such a good idea in the beginning. He wondered if Squall could be any madder at him than he already was.

He shook his head, marking that as an impossibility. He trailed about a foot behind Squall from there on out, not wanting to get too close in fear of being the target of Squall's rage. He had a feeling that the teen would just swing back on him if his got too close. However, he became a bit more relaxed when they reached Balamb. Squall stopped shortly after they were in. He crossed his arms and moved his head off to the side.

"Where are we going?" he asked, not bothering to look up at Seifer who came up next to him.

"I told you. We're going to go eat."

Squall stayed silent and brought his arms down. Seifer patted him on the back and began walking down the streets. Thinking about just leaving, Squall ignored the thought and followed after him. Seifer stopped outside of the tavern, glancing back to see if Squall was still behind him. When the brunette came up next to him, Seifer shook his head and pushed Squall in front of him and through the door.

The tavern was dimly lit and small round tables were scattered about the room. Towards the back was a bar with several people already occupying the space. After a quick glance around, Seifer spotted a vacant table towards the back. He tapped Squall on the shoulder and motioned with his head to the table. They weaved around the occupants already present towards the table and took their seats once they arrived.

A moment passed and their waitress came up to the table.

She had her head faced behind her and laughed as one of the bartenders made a comment to her. She shook her head and faced the two males seated at the table. She handed them menus and pulled out her pad.

"Hello, guys. My name's Stacy and I'll be your waitress for the evening," she smiled as she looked at the two of them. "May I get you something to drink while you look over the menu?" She pushed back her brown ponytail that drooped over her shoulder.

"Bourbon and coke," Seifer said as he glanced up at the female.

"All right," she said as she wrote it down. She turned to face Squall. "And what about you, sir? Alcohol or no?"

He shook his head no. "A water's fine," he said as he shifted his gaze to the girl.

She nodded and scratched it down. Putting the pen and pad into the front pocket of her uniform, she said to them, "Okay. I'll be back in just a minute with your drinks." She turned and walked away from them, heading back to the bar.

As Seifer opened his menu, he glanced over to Squall who already had his opened and was looking it over. "Any idea what you're getting?"

He did not receive a verbal replay, only a shake of the head.

"And, Squall, you better order some real food or I'm going to order everything on this menu and make you eat it."

At this, a reply was absent. After several minutes, the waitress came back with their drinks in hand. She set them down and pulled her pad and pen back out. "So, any idea what you want or do you need a few more minutes?"

Seifer set down the menu and looked up at her. "I'm gonna get a number two…without mushrooms." She nodded and scratched it down before turning her attention to Squall. "And you, sir? Decided what you want?"

"Just the grilled chicken, please," he said, looking up at her.

She wrote it down with a nod. After taking their menus, she said, "Okay. Your food will be ready shortly." They both nodded to her as she turned and walked off.

Squall sat with his hands in his lap and staring emptily at the table. Seifer leaned back in the seat with his arms crossed, fixing his gaze on the brunette in front of him. Soon after, Seifer was not even aware he was looking at him anymore; he drifted off in thought about something unrelated. Mainly about his classes and what plan to try and teach the group next. When Squall shifted, he was brought out of thought as he watched the Commander scratch the side of his jaw. For some reason, he noted that the teen was wearing long-sleeves to conceal what lye on his wrists.

The blonde shook his head and looked back at the bar where their waitress stood talking to the bartended and laughing over something he had just said. He kept noticing how she constantly flipped her hair every few seconds, as if trying to get the bartender to pay more attention to her – if that were even possible. She stopped laughing for a moment and turned to look back at the boy's table. Seeing Seifer watching her, she smiled and turned back to the man, holding up her index finger. She walked over to their table and put her hands together.

"Is there anything either one of you need?" she asked sweetly, smiling at the blonde.

He shook his head. "No. We're fine, thanks."

She nodded. "Well, if there's anything you need, just let me know." She turned on her heel and headed back to her conversation with the bartender. All the while, however, she continued to glance at their table before turning back to the bartender and laughing or giving an accusing look. Seifer turned to look at Squall who now sat with his right elbow on the table and chin in hand, staring at a specials menu absent-mindedly.

"Why so silent, Leonheart? You could at least speak or something."

At this, Squall glanced up at Seifer and shrugged. "Nothing to talk about."

Seifer scoffed. "Yeah, yeah." He leaned back again, waiting for Squall to say something – anything.

After what seemed like ages, their food was finally brought out to them. Once the waitress had walked away again, Seifer glanced over to Squall's plate to see the piece of chicken and a meager looking salad on the side. He blinked.

"Is that really all you intend to eat?"

"I told you. I'm not really hungry."

He turned to his food and cut into it. Seifer sighed and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Leonheart," he replied as he picked up his own utensils and cut into his food.

* * *

Sorry I had to cut it off here! But to get my next chapter to go where I want it to, I had to. (ducks in case flying vegetables decide to become my new style) Well! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and if ya did, review it, kay? (bounces away merrily) I'll update soon! I swear! 


	9. Recurrence

Hey, everyone! I am SO sorry this took so long to get up! MAJOUR case of writers block! Plus, I only had three reviews last time, so I figured I could take my time. Not that many people were interested, so nya.

Anyway! If I get more than that, I'll try and get it up faster! lol! That's a horrible, thing, isn't it?? O.o Anyway! Note that THIS is why this story's rated M. Ha ha.

**_SilverWhiteDragon:_** I really am sorry it took so long! -bows- I think this one took longer...SORRY!!

**_Quistis Trepe05:_** I can't answer anything without my lawyer!! ... Okay. I'm kidding. But I can't very well spoil it!!

**_Black Night Luster:_** You lil' devil, you!! XD But I can't say I'm not!! Ha ha.

Enjoy after the disclaimer!

**_Disclaimer:_** Nope...don't own a thing.

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Chapter nine: Recurrence

At the end of their meal, Seifer leaned on the table, staring at the young Commander in front of him. Squall glanced at him and shifted uncomfortably. Seeing this reaction in the teen, Seifer could not help but smirk. After their plates were cleared from the table, the waitress came back with a little black book in her hand. She smiled at the two and set the pad on the table.

"Is there anything else I can get you two? Desert? Coffee? Coffee and desert?" she smiled when she saw a slight chuckle come from the blond.

"No, I think we're good here," he glanced at Squall when he spoke. "Yeah. We're fine."

She continued to flash her smile about as she put her hand on the black book. "All right! That's great to hear. Just bring this to the bar and pay for it there, okay? If you need anything in the meantime, just ask."

Seifer stared at her as she walked off to another table, making sure everything was okay. He sighed and looked back to Squall who had gone back to staring at a spot on the table. The blond grabbed the check from where it laid on the table and moved to stand up. Looking at the brunet, he held up the black book and motioned towards the bar. Squall glanced up at him.

"Be right back."

Squall said nothing, only shook his head and then turned to face the napkin holder. Seifer released a sigh and left to pay the tab. Squall sat there for quite some time, mind drifting off onto other things – mainly any work he had left to complete back at the Garden. He was not sure how long he had been sitting there waiting for the other to return; he even had half a mind to just leave. Nevertheless, when Seifer did arrive back to the table, he did not bother to sit back down or anything. He just laid some gil on the table, receiving a glance from the younger male.

The blond raised a brow.

"Squall, if you want, rent a cab back to the Garden or stay in town. I'm going to…," he glanced backwards at their waitress, "head off for the night." She gave him an impatient stare. She had thrown on her coat and was now waiting by the door, waiting for the blond to hurry up.

Squall looked at the waitress and then back to Seifer. He looked at the gil on the table before shaking his head.

"You gonna be all right?" Seifer asked as he stared at the other intently, waiting for a reply. He watched as Squall just shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine. Whatever."

Seifer sighed. He turned and walked over to the female who lit up when he headed her direction. She latched onto his arm and said something that caused the male to laugh. As they walked out the door, Seifer looked back to Squall who had gone back to staring at the napkin holder. He rolled his eyes and followed after the female.

They exited the bar and Seifer had his arm wrapped around the female's waist. The streets of Balamb were somewhat crowded, but not nearly as much since there were no teenagers from Garden roaming the streets. Or, those that were were few in numbers. A group that consisted of two females and two males passed by them duo that Seifer instantly recognized as students from his class. They did not even notice him as they continued to go on and on about something they had read in Occult Magazine. It was obvious that the group was on a group date, but when one of the girls saw something in one of the shops, she ditched the group and went running to see it, whatever it was. She called over the other female and they gawked at the item on the counter in the shop. After some coaxing, one of them finally convinced their date to get it for them.

The waitress laughed slightly when Seifer said something and they continued walking until they arrived at the Balamb Hotel. She stood behind him as he paid for a room and after a courtesy nod, she walked up the stairs to the room in front of the blond. As they entered the room, she sat down on the bed and watched as Seifer removed his trench coat. When she laughed slightly, Seifer could not help but bring his attention towards her.

He raised a brow.

"Something humorous?"

She shook her head and leaned back on her hands, a sly smirk on her face.

"Nothing, really. But when I first saw you and your friend enter the bar, I thought you were gay."

Seifer frowned as the brunette continued to laugh about the thought. She put her hand in front of her mouth and winked at the other. "Donnie didn't think that, though," she continued and Seifer raised a brow. "He's the bar owner," she answered the unasked question. "But nope. He thought your friend was a girl…."

She trailed off and broke into tiny fits of laughter. Seifer could not help but force down a chuckle that wanted to escape from his throat. It seemed that quite a few people thought Squall was a female first time they ever saw him. He recalled how his entire class had that exact same first impression. The female flipped her hair behind her and put her hand down, a smirk still playing with her features.

"It was hysterical," she said when she saw the smirk trying to make its way to Seifer's face. "Donnie and a few of the other employees kept saying how pretty he was and wouldn't believe me when I told them that it wasn't a girl. He kept saying, 'That can't be a man!'" she said with a mock deep voice, trying to mimic the voice of the bar owner. "'You're crazy, Cassie! No guy on earth is that slender!' And what's worse is that no one disagreed with him." She smiled when Seifer began laughing. He could hold it back no longer.

He could see where people would get that impression. The male was quite small for being so strong. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He had very feminine features even in his face. His jaw was not even square, he had large oval eyes; to top it off he did have a very slender waist and small hips.

Seifer shook his head, stopping his laughing almost instantly when he realized what he was thinking. Suddenly, the image of Squall standing in the bathroom with only the towel wrapped around his waist made its way back into Seifer's head. He shook his head again when the image refused to leave.

"Anyway," the female went on, "I very highly doubt you want to chit chat," she said as she began taking off her jacket.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Squall hung his head as he stared at the amount of gil on the table. This was just perfect. He did not want to come out in the first place, but after being dragged out of Garden, he decided why not; but then he was ditched anyway. This just was not his night. He sighed and stood up, grabbing the gil from the table.

_I don't need a ride – I need a drink,_ he thought as he shifted to sit at the bar. He looked around and noted that there was only one other person in the bar other than him was a man that looked mid-thirties and he, too, was sitting at the bar, a beer on his right. He was talking to one of the bartenders about nothing in particular.

When someone noticed that Squall was now sitting at the bar, they walked over to him.

"Can I get you anything?" they asked, their voice deep.

"Anything strong."

The guy laughed and grabbed a glass that sat upside down behind the bar. He turned and began fixing whatever as Squall stared at nothing in particular. When the man came back, he set it down in front of him and stared intently at the brunet as he watched Squall take a drink. He raised his eyebrows.

"What happened to your date?"

Squall brought the glass down from his lips and gave the bartender a curious stare. "My date?"

"You know, that other guy you were with. You get dumped?"

Squall clicked his tongue and brought the drink back up; but before he took another gulp, he replied. "Yeah. That's it." He swallowed down another swig.

The bartender shook his head solemnly. "Sorry to hear it." He watched as Squall took yet another drink before setting it back down on the table. For a moment, he said nothing and Squall shifted uncomfortably. "So, you live in town?" Squall shook his head. "Or do you go to Garden? You seem young enough. Hear everyone went on some trip. It's quite empty around town on the weekends when students are absent."

Squall just nodded.

"Yeah."

"You're not the talkative type, are you?"

Squall just shrugged. "Guess not." He took another sip from his drink.

The bartender sighed. "Come on. It's not difficult. Just start talking about whatever comes to mind."

_How about getting you to leave me alone?_ Squall thought, bringing the drink to his lips.

When he said nothing, the man sighed and pulled back from the counter. "Have it your way, then." He walked to the other end of the counter towards the other man working behind the bar. Suddenly, the three people laughed about something or other.

He continued to take sips of his drink until he began feeling the effect of it. He shook his head, trying to get his mind right. The drink was strong, but it was not that strong. Maybe there was a bit too much stress today. Taking into account that he was already half-asleep, add some alcohol and mental thinking to the mix and he felt like he was getting drunk. He put the now empty glass down, though with a bit more force than her intended. He held his head.

He suddenly felt dizzy and when he opened his eyes and tried to focus on something, it looked as if the room was spinning. He groaned, shaking his head again. Maybe the drink was a bit too strong for him.

"You all right?"

He looked up to see the blurred face of the bartender looking at him, somewhat concerned. He was unable to form words so instead he just nodded his head.

"You don't look so hot. I think that drink was a bit too much for ya."

Squall just shook his head again.

"I'm fine," he replied, though it came out slurred, hardly understandable in any form. "Need a…cab…"

_What's wrong with me? I can't even form words correctly. _

He pushed back from the bar and stood up, yet failed miserably. He almost fell and had to catch his balance on the counter. He groaned and looked up, noticing that the blurred figure of the bartender had moved. Instead, he felt a hand on his shoulder from behind him and the voice of the man behind.

"I think you should lie down or something."

Squall shook his head and inhaled deeply. He tried to stand but grew lightheaded and ended up stumbling backwards into the man.

"Hey, Charlie! Is the couch in the back cleared off?" the bartender called to the other who, along with the man at the bar, was watching Squall unable to move even.

"Should be. Sheila was takin' a nap on it earlier today, so yeah."

The other nodded and brought his attention back to the Commander.

"Come on. You can lie down in the back until you feel well enough to actually stand up without keeling over."

Squall was in no shape to protest and the man ended up helping him to a door behind the bar; it was more along the lines of the man had to practically drag the young brunet, whereas his legs felt like they could not even move. When the door opened, a musty odour hit his nostrils and he groaned as he moved his head to the side. He tried to bring his hand up to hold his head, but that failed when he realized his limbs would barely heed his commands.

He was brought into a small, dimly lit room and the bartender helped him to the couch. The moment he sensed that he would not hurt himself if he fell he collapsed onto the couch. It was an old couch, judging by the smell of it, but at the moment, he really did not care. He tried to at least say 'thank you,' but his vocals would not do as he wished them to and it came out in a drowned out moan.

The bartender stepped back and looked at the teen that was practically lifeless on the couch. He shook his head.

"Don't try the strong stuff unless you can handle it, kid."

With that, he turned and walked back out the door, closing it behind him.

Squall lie on the couch, not even being able to move; his limbs were paralyzed.

_This just isn't my night. _

He tried to lift his head when he heard the door open back up, but he could not even so much as move his neck to see. He adverted his eyes, hoping they were at least in the area of vision, but all he was able to see was up the person's torso.

"I guess it's good enough," the person, obviously male, spoke.

"Don't look at me. Cassie's out with that one guy so I don't expect either one of them back."

"And this is the best you can do?" There was a sigh. "He's cute, I'll give ya that."

_What are you talking about?_ Squall thought, wanting to see who it was that was talking.

His hair was gripped and he released another groan as his head was moved around like some rag doll. He felt as though he was being inspected for something. His head was dropped and he heard a few more line exchanges before someone sat down in front of him. It was at this time he wished that he had at least been lying on his back rather than his stomach. He was unable to see anything other than someone sitting in front of his face.

"Hey, guess what?" one of them asked, obviously directed towards Squall. "You get the joy of being the release for the night."

"The release? What in the world…?" That was what he tried to ask, but it came out in gibberish along the lines of 'ungg nnnnggg.'

He heard something unzip, his hair gripped once more, and he did not even have any time to react as his mouth was shoved over something long and hard.

It clicked instantly what had just happened and he tried to pull away but had no use of his muscles. Whoever had his hair gripped kept moving his head up and down and as the erection continued to hit the back of his throat, he was only able to gag.

He tried to yell, shout, struggle, -- anything that would get him away, but to no avail. That drink – no…. Whatever was put in that drink caused his entire body to become completely limp and he could do nothing in protest.

He felt something tug at his black jeans and his eyes ended up shooting open. Something about this felt strangely familiar and the sense that it did had him panic stricken. His heart began racing in his chest as the tugging continued and he clamped his eyes shut, praying that what he thought was about to happen would not.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Seifer began kissing down the female's neck and she threw back her head, releasing a moan. Seifer's shirt had already been discarded, as well as the female's, leaving her in only her bra; her jeans were unzipped but still on, nonetheless. The male traced his hand along her stomach and past her naval, reaching the waistband of her undergarments.

He slid his hand in and she swallowed, letting out another moan. Seifer pulled back and watched the expression on her face.

"D-Don't—ah-ha…," the girl groaned as she arched her back.

Seifer stopped short when though his mind, he suddenly saw the Commander lying on the bed in place of the female, throwing his head back and letting out a gargled moan.

"Please…don't!"

Seifer jerked back, almost falling off the bed, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Startled, the girl sat upwards, hair a mess and face red, but wondering why he had suddenly ceased.

"What's wrong?" she asked, practically out of breath.

Seifer swallowed hard and shook his head.

"It's nothing…."

"Good," she replied simply as she pressed her hands to the other's bare chest. "Then we can continue." She practically purred against him and Seifer only nodded, shaking his head, wondering why that had happened suddenly.

Yet, no sooner had they shifted and the girl was lying on her back, arms wrapped around Seifer's back that the blonde's head began to throb. He groaned and pulled his hand up to hold his head. Wondering what was wrong now, she released her grip on the blond and looked at the pained male.

"Are you all right?"

He did not reply. He leaned back where he was now sitting on his heels. His head started to spin and he felt lightheaded. There was a loud ringing and he brought up his other hand and covered his ears, trying to shut out the noise. As it became louder, the room began to spin fast and he ended up collapsing onto the floor.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"_Hm…what's wrong? You're not pussing out, are you?" _

_"Nnng…"_

_"Pff…I thought as much." A foot made contact with a brunet's side as he was kicked onto his back. He lay panting with several bruised ribs and a badly wounded shoulder. A hand reached down and grabbed a handful of the brunet's hair as the abuser leaned over him. "Come on, now, Leonheart. If you go down this easily, how would ever stand a battle against the sorceress?" _

_Squall cringed as pressure was applied to his ribcage and when a fist made contact with one of his bruised ribs, he cried out, jerking up. His head was jerked as he was forced to look into sadistic green eyes. Seifer scoffed and stared into Squall's bluish-gray eyes as he began to run his fingers through his hair. _

_"Hm…you know, you're actually quite attractive when you're suffering. After all, you already look like a female enough as it is," the blond stated with a grin plastered to his face. _

_Squall clamped his eyes shut. "You – bastard—!" he cursed at him in a harsh whisper as the other male applied more pressure to his bruised rib. _

_Seifer ran his hand down Squall's jaw line before bringing his hand to the other's lips. He shoved his fingers in Squall's mouth and down his throat, causing the younger teen to gag. "Hyne, you're so filthy, Squall." While he spoke, Squall grabbed Seifer's wrist and tried to get him to remove his fingers. "You let some sick guards cum in your mouth and still crave for more." He removed his fingers from the other's throat and began to run his hand up Squall's abdomen, lifting his shirt as he went. With his free hand, he held the back of Squall's head and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "But only I'm allowed to touch you." _

_Squall shivered at the feeling of Seifer's hand against his bare skin. "You sick—bastard!" He cried out as the blond's hand softly ran passed his naval. He let another cry escape from his throat when he felt Seifer trace his tongue up his neck and around the outside of his ear. _

_He grinned when he received a slight moan from the brunet when he bit the skin on his neck. He let his free hand travel downward and began to unbuckle Squall's belt; when the task was completed, he slid his hand into Squall's pants. The moment his hand reached its destined location, Squall arched his back, releasing a loud moan. _

_"N-No!" He cried out, forcing down a pleading moan that was begging to be released. "Do—Don't touch me there!!" He shouted as the blond licked his jaw line. _

_Seifer smirked and brought his head up to look at Squall's flushed face. "Your voice says no, but your body is begging for me to continue." As he stroked him again, Squall swallowed and let out a gurgled groan. He let Squall lay back on the hard, concrete floor while his left hand worked and he began to trace his right hand up Squall's stomach as he kissed the skin. He ran his thumb over the brunet's nipple. "Hm…even your nipples are hard," he taunted before he ran his tongue over it and bit down. _

_"Gnnnhhhh….st—stop it!!" He yelled out, feeling humiliated – his current condition not allowing him to fight back. "Stop it right now!!" His pleas went ignored as Seifer had stopped stroking him and began pulling down his leather pants. "No!! Stop!!" Ignoring the pain in his abdomen, he tried to pull himself away from the blond, but found that his energy had left him. When Seifer had pulled down his pants to his ankles, Squall closed his legs and tried to put all his energy in keeping his legs together. _

_Seifer shook his head, laughing slightly. "Uh, uh, Squally. We won't get anywhere if you do that." At this, he completely removed the brunet's pants and, after carelessly throwing them off to the side, grabbed Squall's ankles and positioned himself between his thighs. He smirked and rubbed the outside of the brunet's bottom before pulling his hand up and, once again, forcing his fingers inside Squall's mouth. He tried to pull his head off to the side, but failed. _

_Once his fingers were thickly coated with Squall's saliva, he pulled his fingers out and inserted two digits into the brunet's entrance. It was then that Squall had begun screaming, screaming at him to pull them out. While he moved his fingers in a scissor-like motion, he watched as Squall clenched his jaw and clamped his eyes tightly shut. His breaths became short and shallow. _

_"Ungggg…d-don't do this!!" He cried out as he forced his eyes open to look at Seifer. "Please!" He jerked his head back to the side. "Please don't!" He choked down a sob. "It hurts!"_

_At this, Seifer only laughed as he inserted a third digit, getting another scream of the brunet. "Like it's really hurting you…and even if it is, I could give a shit if you're in pain." With one last spread of his fingers, he removed them – for a moment, Squall was hoping that it was over and the blond would do no more; but when he heard the unbuttoning and unzipping of jeans, he jerked his head up to see Seifer pull out and hover at his, Squall's, entrance. _

_Squall propped himself up on his elbows, eyes wide as he stared. His breath hitched and he began to shake his head hastily, all the while muttering, "No – no – no – no – no. Seifer, please don't. Please. I'll do anything." _

_The blond laughed at his statement. "The only thing I want from you is for you to shut the fuck up." Squall felt his eyes swell up with tears when Seifer pushed the tip of himself into the brunet. He saw a grin flash on Seifer's face as the blond shoved himself all the way in one rough movement. _

_Squall let out a blood-curdling scream as the entire length of his foe was buried inside him. He fell back onto the concrete floor in hysterical sobs as blood began to drip down the inside of his thighs. Seifer pulled out slowly before shoving himself back in, as if trying to loosen the brunet. _

_"Hyne, Squall, you're so fucking tight." He smirked as he watched Squall's body shiver and tears splash onto the floor from blue-gray eyes. "Hard to believe that you're still a virgin. You'd think everyone within a ten mile radius of Balamb would have gotten to you." _

_As he continually slammed into the brunet, Squall tried to choke down sobs, not wanting to degrade himself any further. His body rocked against the floor, the noise of flesh hitting flesh and his own cries resounding in his ears. Seifer placed one hand on each side of Squall's head and ceased for a moment, allowing Squall to open his eyes and stare directly into his own. He smirked and brought up his left hand to stroke Squall's cheek. _

_"Awe, why are you crying, Leonheart? Feeling violated?" He pushed in a bit more, causing Squall to cringe. At that moment, Seifer leaned down and caught Squall by the mouth, forcing his tongue in between Squall's lips. From reflex, Squall grabbed Seifer's shoulders and pulled his head up, breaking away. As if on cue, Seifer wrapped his arms around Squall's back and pulled back up where the young SeeD was on his lap with his legs wrapped around his, Seifer's, back. _

_At the new position, Squall threw his head back and let out another yell – this gave Seifer the chance to lick and bite the skin on the brunet's neck. "So fucking gorgeous…," Seifer muttered as he forced Squall to move. Tears streamed down the other's cheeks and soon, his mind became blank. _

_The repetitive sound of skin hitting skin and his own cries and screams became his lullabies. He felt his body shift around several times before all went still and he lay on the concrete floor panting. The last thing he remembered was seeing Seifer walking away, his back turned as Squall's eyes drifted shut before everything fell into a sweet, black abyss. _

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Squall released a gargled groan as he was slammed into again. He was now on the floor of the back room and while someone held his head, his eyes were half-closed, the other person thrusting in and out repetitively. White liquid seeped from between his lips. The man from the rear clicked his tongue, seeming disappointed for some reason. The other that was holding Squall's head glanced up and looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"All if it won't fit in, yet," the man replied as he tried to force himself all the way into the brunet. "He's really tight, as I expected. I wonder if I'm too big…?"

The other snickered.

"I highly doubt that's the case."

"Shut up. Ah…," he moaned. "He's opening up. I guess I'd keep probing deeper. Maybe I can get all the way in." The guy moaned again. "Shit…I forgot how good anal sex feels."

Squall tried to do something, but the feeling had yet to return to his body and he kept releasing strange gargled moans, his throat muscles not even heeding his command.

"I wonder if it'll hurt if I thrust all the way in…," the guy trailed off.

"Ya won't know till ya try."

"Good point."

And with that, he pulled back and thrust his entire length within the brunet. The pain was enough to cause another gargled groan from the Commander and his head shifted again, his mouth being forced back down on the other's length.

"Shit," the one from the back said as he began moving faster. "I'm coming again…!"

"Go for it," the other said calmly as he continued to move Squall's head up and down.

"Grrnng…!"

The guy released a loud groan as he released his seed and buried it deep inside the teen. At the same time, the other, too, had come and Squall's throat tensed as it tried to repel the substance. He pulled his head up by the hair and looked at his face.

"Awe, how cute. He's crying," the guy seemed oddly amused at the tears staining Squall's cheeks.

All the while, Squall felt completely helpless; his body would not move at his own will, he could not even so much as scream, yell, or shout. If only everyone could see the Infamous Commander now.

_I wonder…what would they think? I can't…even take care of myself. I do need help. Someone…anyone…please help me. Please…._

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Yeah...That was harsh. But hey! How else can we progress?! I told you this was rated M for a reason!! Ha ha. Anyway! I reply to reviews! If you want something answered or are confused about something, ASK ME!! and I'll tell ya.

Love yas!!


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